Water Below Zero
by Bukkunkun
Summary: Six spirits, 720 different relationships. (That doesn't mean, however, that this fic has 720 chapters!) Multishipping galore, but some biases may pop up every once in a while.
1. Getting Attacked - Snow Bunny

So, I was rifling through the Imagine Your OTP blog on Tumblr and got inspired to write. So! Platonic shipping abound, please do enjoy!

(Should there be OC's, well, they're just wee little minor ones, hehe!)

On with the fics!

* * *

_Imagine your OTP getting attacked. Person A tells person B to stay put and more importantly stay safe. Person B tells person A there's no way that's happening, and they're going to fight too. It's a tough battle, and they don't come out of it without wounds, but they survive because they've got each other's backs._

Warnings: (still) baseless conjecture on characterization (so please don't bash me /sob), slightly spoilery? although what i mention here is more of theory rather than actual spoilers, hurt/comfort, BUKKUN TRIUMPHANT OVER WRITER'S BLOCK, and bukkun's babu feels, tsundere spirits because you know they're both tsun hahahaha

"Get yourself somewhere safe, kid! It's too dangerous out here!" Bunnymund yelled over the raucous noise of war all around him, the sounds of grinding metal, hissing, screeching and rustling pitch black dreamsand rushing around them, blanketing their world in darkness, save for the beacon of light above them-Sandy's glowing golden dreamsand, shining brightly above them like golden stars, lighting their dark tunnel up like a searchlight. Bunnymund could barely see the little sand-man, but he knew he was holding off well on his own, the streaks of his whip-like dreamsand lashing out in all directions, catching, slamming, tearing, fighting.

"I'm not leaving!" Jack's defiant call yelled back at him, the younger Guardian right behind him, holding off Fearlings at Bunnymund's back. "I'm just as involved in this as you are!"

"Look, kid, I made a promise to North I was going to keep you safe," Bunnymund explained exasperatedly, striking at Fearlings that came too close for comfort with his boomerangs, his sharp weapons cutting through deep black dreamsand like a hot knife, and flying back to his grasp. "And I don't break no bloody promises, now get somewhere where you can be safe, you little brat!"

Jack glared up at him, gripping his staff tightly, his expression defiant, but he was completely silent.

"Am I understood?" He asked, just for good measure.

"... Yeah." Jack replied, his expression downcast, and Bunnymund thought the boy was going to leave to safety-when a devious grin spread across the winter spirit's face. His eyes widened. "Yeah, right! I'm not going anywhere, you big kangaroo!" he laughed, before launching into the air to fight in the clouds, aiding Sandy in any way he could.

Bunnymund looked up after Jack in surprise, but his surprise was short-lived when the sound of Fearlings approaching shook him out of his reverie and forced him back into the battlefield. Shaking his head, he resigned himself to whatever was going to happen then.

He'll get into trouble with North like this, unless he stepped up the game and protected Jack alongside helping out Sandy take care of this problem. Chuckling self-depreciatingly, Bunnymund shook his head and began to ruthlessly attack the oncoming enemies. He'll have to deal with that hard-headed kid later. Right now he had bigger problems.

* * *

"Sandy!" Bunnymund called out as he saw the last few wisps of black dreamsand fade away into nothing. "Great job!"

The Guardian grinned tiredly and gave him a thumbs-up, but gestured towards the cloud he was standing on. Eyebrow raised, Bunnymund leapt upwards to the roof of the nearest building as Sandy descended to meet him on the roof. The Pooka's eyes widened upon seeing an unconscious Jack lying down on the dreamsand cloud, hand tightly closed around his staff (even when not conscious, Bunnymund had mused later on, it's rather cute of him to cling onto it so tightly), sprawled backwards onto the cloud.

"He's alright, isn't he?" Bunnymund asked, and Sandy nodded, smiling, before conjuring up an image of a sleeping child. "Oh, he's just tired. Exhausted himself, has he?" he chuckled, looking down at the sleeping spirit. "Well, kids will be kids. Mortal or not."

Sandy conjured up an arrow pointing at himself next to the image of a child sleeping. "Oh, you're tired too? Right, I'll go help you out," Bunnymund nodded, picking up Jack's sleeping form with ease. "Come on, let's head back." He said, and the sand-man nodded, before yawning as he conjured up a plane around him. With a small salute at Bunnymund, he took off into the direction of North's workshop. Sighing fondly, Bunnymund looked down at the sleeping boy in his arms. He noticed a small cut on his cheek, and chuckled.

"So, kid, think how much would Tooth freak out if she saw that wee little cut?" he asked, and much to his surprise, he heard Jack weakly chuckle. Laughing, he saw the winter spirit open his eyes half-mast, still riddled with sleep, as a smile spread across his face.

"Dunno. She'll definitely flip, though," he mumbled, "Like a mom..."

Bunnymund laughed and shook his head. "Come on, let's head back." He said, tapping his foot twice on the ground to summon his tunnels. Jack nodded sleepily in his arms, hugging close to his body his staff.

"Hey..." he murmured as Bunnymund leapt into his tunnel. "Back up there, I kicked ass hard, didn't I?"

"Sure you did, kid." Bunny replied, grinning fondly.

"Yeah... I made sure to target... the ones... near you..." his speech began to blur as sleep came to take him back to the darkness of rest, but Bunnymund's eyes widened. "... Since, y'know... you were... aiming at the ones... near me."

The Pooka couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as Jack fell asleep again in his arms. "Yeah, I did," he whispered to the sleeping boy in his arms. "I made a promise, didn't I? And besides," he chukled, rubbing his furry cheek on the boy's, "You're family now. It's kind of a given."

Jack hummed in his sleep, and Bunnymund took that as affirmatory.

"Yep, that's right, mate. I'll have your back, if you'll have mine."

* * *

Soo. These are already up on Tumblr, but I decided to up them here for easier access. If my blog updates with this series, this fic will update too! Watch out for updates!


	2. Good Morning, Sweety! - Rainbow Snowcone

Next on the list, Queen Toothiana! I love her so much, she's designed so beautifully! (and is a total BAMF in the books!)

* * *

_Imagine your OTP in the morning. Person A is cooking breakfast. Person B groggily shambles into the kitchen to find that Person A has already prepared them their everyday morning drink just the way they like it._

Warnings: (still) baseless conjecture on characterization (so please don't bash me /sob), Tooth being an overprotective mom and adorable and /gross sobbing, bukkun's babu feels, okay so I ship Tooth with North romantically shut up don't judge me, their babies can be Jack and Sandy, and Bunny's the awesome Aussie neighbour everyone runs to for pest control.

Jack awoke with a start, groggy as he sat up, eyes still riddled with sleep. Rubbing his eyes and groaning, he got out of bed and started to make his way over to the door, his free hand not on his eye gingerly scratching at the bandage Tooth had put on his cheek the night before. He went over to the side of his bed and picked up his staff (right where he put it, it seems everyone now knew not to misplace his staff-they can move anything, but the staff.). Gripping it reassuringly, he continued on his way towards the door.

He and Bunnymund were right. She had reacted quite strongly to his sustained wound (although, really it was hardly anything dangerous, just a little tiny scratch that barely grazed his skin) and had fussed over him the entire night, coddling him like a child, refusing to leave his side the entire time, cooing lovingly at him.

Chuckling fondly at the memory of Tooth's overprotectiveness, Jack wrapped his hand around the knob and turned it, pulling the door open and walking out onto the corridor, sighing at the familiar, comforting feel of the cold Santoff Klaussen wind hitting him. "Oh, yeah," he sighed, breathing in the cool wind. "Nice morning today."

"Sandy gave you a good dream last night," North's voice spoke up from behind him, and a grin spread across Jack's face as he turned around to address the elder Guardian. "I'm glad you, Sandy and Bunny are okay." He smiled, moving forward to heavily pat Jack's shoulder. "Those Fearlings are all over the place, it's really difficult to keep them in check, even when Pitch is out of the way."

Jack nodded, as North let out a hearty laugh. "But enough of that! You must be hungry! Let's get you breakfast." he smiled down at the younger Guardian, who laughed at North's enthusiasm.

"Starved. Where's the kitchen?" Jack asked, and North wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulder like a father would to his son.

"Right this way!"

* * *

The moment Jack and North entered the kitchen, Jack was hit with Tooth's bombardment of concern.

"Oh, Jack! What are you doing out of bed?" Tooth's fast-paced voice hit him like a ton of bricks, and Jack blinked, disoriented as a blur of blue and green came up to him, cupping his face and checking him over rapidly, concern clear on the Guardian's face. "Are you okay already? Does anyhting hurt?"

Behind him, North laughed fondly and made his way to the table to help himself on whatever was on it, and Jack pulled away from Tooth, chuckling lightly. "I'm okay, sheesh," he assured her, taking hold of her small hands and bringing them down, out of the way. "You don't have to be so worried, okay? It's just a scratch."

"Oh," Tooth smiled sheepishly at him, "Well, I," she gestured uselessly with her hands, but Jack just took them again and smiled at her gently. "Oh," she blinked, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"I just... want to get some breakfast. 'Kay?" He smiled, and the fairy giggled, shaking her head fondly, before planting a soft kiss on top of his forehead.

"I have just the thing. I know it's not like North's but I hope you like how I made it," she smiled, flitting away from him for a moment, and returning with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. "It's hot chocolate."

"Thanks," Jack smiled at her, before taking a sip. True, it wasn't as spectacular as North's rich, creamy chocolate, but it was definitely something else. Something pleasantly different. "Hm," he smiled as she looked at him expectantly. "Is that mint I taste in here?"

"Yeah," She smiled, shrugging slightly. "Just thought it might, you know, make it a bit more interesting?"

"I like it," Jack told her, "Seriously. I do." He grinned, drinking more of the minty chocolate drink. "You should make more of these,"

"Oh, you know I can't," she giggled, "Cavities, and all. That's sugary, you know! Don't forget to brush your teeth after breakfast, alright?" she reminded him, finger in his face, and he just laughed brightly, brighter than ever before.

"Yes, mom," he chuckled, and she blinked at him.

"... Mom?" she echoed, and Jack paused, confused.

"O-oh, did you not like that?" he asked, suddenly conscious of what he was saying, but Tooth shook her head, a smile spreading across her face as pulled Jack into a tight hug, surprising the winter spirit. "... Tooth?"

"No one's ever called me that." she told him, "I rather like it." She giggled, before pulling away. "... Mom. Wow."

"Well, I've never really grown up with my mom," he smiled at her. "So...?"

She looked at him, her expression of pure joy. "Yes, yes please." She nodded.

"Okay," He smiled, "Thanks for the chocolate, mom. You really made my day."

Tooth, filled to the brim with warm joy, could only nod as some of it spilled from her eyes.

"Yeah," She nodded, her words soft and loving. "You're welcome, sweety."

* * *

Oh, I forgot to mention. The fics will most likely run in a linear path, meaning they're chronologically ordered, so they're all sequels of each other. That makes it easier for both me and you readers out there to keep track with the story! :D

Until next time!

(and sorry not sorry I'm getting this human!AU in my head now where Tooth and North are married sorry not sorry)


	3. By the Fireplace - White Christmas

And here's my favourite one out of them so far! I just really, really like North acting like a father figure to Jack. It makes my heart melt and their height difference is _adorable_.

* * *

_Imagine your OTP wearing matching ugly sweaters and cuddling on a couch in front of a big fireplace, all cosy and warm while it begins to snow outside._

(Okay, I'll cheat with this one, only Jack's wearing the sweater, shut up hahahahaha /shot)

Warnings: (still) baseless conjecture on characterization (so please don't bash me /sob), North being the BEST DAD EVER /gross sobbing, bukkun's babu feels, okay so I ship Tooth with North romantically shut up don't judge me, their babies can be Jack and Sandy, and Bunny's the awesome Aussie neighbour everyone runs to for pest control, Jack in shorts and a too-big sweater. Fanarts! There has to be fanarts of this! /has boys-in-shorts-fetish /shot

Jack was not having a good day.

After a rather unsettling encounter with Pitch (whom everyone had thought was gone completely, but there he was again, live and in the flesh, and yet, he had not made his intentions clear with his 'visit', leaving the Guardians confused as to what his plans were next-what they did know was that the man was clearly up to no good) they had to deal with his distasteful Fearlings, forcing them to fight right there and then.

All was well, really, until one of Bunnymund's egg bombs exploded near where Jack was, fighting off his own horde of Fearlings, spraying Jack's sweater and pants with bright yellow colour, leaving him a walking target in the middle of the snow.

They had all somehow managed in the end, all of them returning to Santoff Klaussen to recuperate, get some rest and discuss Pitch's return, but Jack was in a middle of a crisis.

"The Kangaroo totally screwed up my clothes!" he yelled, storming into North's office, pulling a protesting Bunnymund behind him. The young winter spirit had a scowl on his face as North looked up from the train set he had on the table to look at what was wrong. His eyes widened to see a large patch of yellow paint on the left side of Jack's clothes.

"Not a kangaroo, Frostbite! And besides, the Fearlings were right there! It wasn't like as if I could just not toss the bloody bombs your way, mate!" Bunnymund was yelling as Jack let him go, glaring at him. The two Guardians glared at each other fiercely, and North sighed. Not too long ago, these two were practically snuggled up against each other, and now, well, they were at each other's throats. Just how erratic can their relationship get?

"Look, the two of you," North spoke up, catching both Jack's and Bunnymund's attention. "Why don't we just settle this properly, alright? What happened?"

"One of my bombs exploded near Frostbite here," Bunnymund nudged Jack hard, earning him a look from North. The Pooka backed off-but just a little, "And got his clothes here all coloured up."

"And I am very, very upset," Jack added, "These are the only clothes I have! I can't walk around with a patch of yellow on them!"

"Why not make a new statement? That's what all the kids do these days," North spoke up, but Jack just looked at him with an expression that clearly said, really? The man laughed, loud and hearty, and shook his head. "Oh, alright. Bunny, you take his clothes back to your home and have them sorted out. I'm sure you have something for the paint," the Pooka sighed, crossing his arms, but nodded. "And Jack can borrow some from here. I'm sure I can find something for you."

Jack frowned, but otherwise nodded. "Good," North nodded, just as the yeti Jack had called Phil came into the room, holding in his hands a pile of clothes. "Oh, look! Here they are! Go on and see if something fits you, and give your old clothes to Bunny here so we can all be done!"

Jack rolled his eyes but did as he was told, gesturing at Phil to follow him to his room. After Jack and Phil had left the room, Bunnymund turned to look at North.

"You got a soft spot for Frostbite, haven't you?" he asked, grinning fondly as he leant against North's table.

"As do you," North replied, grinning, and Bunnymund looked away from, clearly guilty of that statement. "Oh, how can we all not develop something from him, eh? He is a child, just like all the others we take care of." He chuckled, sobering up slightly, "And our care for him; it is the least we can do to make up for all those years of not acknowledging him." Bunnymund hummed his agreement, nodding. "Just like all the other children, Bunny, he must be loved. That, my friend, is the least we can give him."

* * *

After North had seen Bunnymund off (the Pooka carrying with him Jack's blue sweater and tattered pants) with the promise that the Pooka would also see to fixing the boy's pants, (there were all tattered and bandaged-up, but he planned to change that) he made his way to where Jack's (temporary, but North would like to think that that was to be Jack's room from now on) room was. After gently knocking on the door, he let himself in to see Jack sitting on the bed, shirtless with a pair of shorts on, glaring at a rather ugly Christmas sweater lying down on top of his bed.

"... Jack?" he asked, and the platinum-haired teen looked up at him.

"That was the only thing that fits me, and I swear, I am not wearing that." He said, pointing at the sweater, as North went closer and picked it up to inspect it.

"... It's a raindeer. Oh, Rudolf, I remember him, big red nose," North chuckled, and Jack blinked.

"... You really had a raindeer named Rudolf?" he asked, and North laughed.

"Oh, yes!" he nodded, "Very good raindeer, he was, led me through loads of misty nights!"

"... Cool." Jack nodded after a moment, but a moment was all North needed. Quickly, he pulled the sweater down over the younger spirit's head, earning him a cry of protest as he wrestled the sweater onto Jack properly. He only let go when Jack was properly dressed in the still-too-big sweater, the sleeves going down past his palms, leaving only the tips of his fingers jutting out from inside the sleeves. The end of the sweater went right past his shorts and it sagged against his thin frame.

North looked him over, before laughing loudly at the sight of Jack. The younger Guardian frowned at him and crossed his arms. "This isn't funny, you know." He said, but North kept laughing.

"Yes, it is!" he guffawed, patting Jack's shoulder heavily. "It's very funny!"

Jack stared at him, incredulous, but he thought about his situation-his clothes, messed up with yellow paint, and now he was dressed in a silly sweater and a pair of Santa elf shorts. The entire thing was pretty silly, really.

... Funny, even.

Jack's frown melted into a smile, and soon he was laughing along with North at how silly the entire thing was. His current clothes, the yellow on his old ones, the look on Bunnymund's face when he came to yell at him, how well North was taking things... it was all great.

North's big, warm hand on his shoulder grounded him as he laughed, warm and supporting and present, a touch he had been deprived of for years and years as he carried on in his invisible, immortal life-life without a father.

"Come on, let's go to the fireplace. We'll be comfortable there," North spoke up, taking Jack's hand and pulling him to his feet. Slightly dazed, Jack followed him to the fireplace at the room that held the globe in it, twinkling golden lights scattered all across the lands showing each and every child out there, happy, dreaming, and still believing in them. Jack found it hard to imagine what Pitch must be up to next. The mere thought of the man back rather unnerved him. "Come on, Jack, take that unhappy face off," North spoke up as he sat down on the large armchair near the fireplace. "Just for tonight."

The platinum-haired teen looked at him, and smiled sadly, before nodding, walking over to where North was, his bare feet padding softly on the marble floor. Mirth in his eyes, North smiled at him as he approached, before taking hold of his arms and pulling the younger spirit into his lap, earning him a cry of protest from Jack.

"H-hey! What's the big deal?" Jack yelled as he was manhandled into a more comfortable position (for both him and North) on the elder Guardian's lap. "I-I'm okay with sitting on the floor!"

"Nonsense," North laughed him off. "I'm fluffy enough. Comfortable!" his booming laughter caught the attention of a few yetis passing by, but they did not approach them, only looked on with mild interest as the two Guardians sat together on the armchair. "Just relax, Jack. It is the time to rest. Tooth, Sandy and Bunnymund have all left to their homes to rest, and so we must do the same."

Jack looked up at him, a small frown on his face, confused, but decided to relax in the bigger man's lap. Slowly he rested his weight on top of North's large stomach and rested his head on the man's shoulder. Surprisingly, it _was_ very comfortable-Jack rather liked how warm the man was-not too warm to be uncomfortable to him, but not too cold, like the wind outside, currently the opposite of what was going on inside-heavy and windy snowfall tumbled outside as a side-effect to Jack's outburst earlier regarding his problem with Bunnymund.

They sat there together for a while, North lying relaxed on the comfortable armchair and Jack resting on top of him, warm and content in North's comforting father-like presence, taking the thought of the ugly design of his sweater off his mind.

"Jack," North spoke up after a moment of comfortable silence. "Do you mind if you could calm the storm down outside? I think you're draining yourself with all that forceful winds and snow." He looked down at the younger Guardian in his lap, whose eyes had slipped closed as he snuggled closer to North's warmth. "Jack?" he asked, gently burying his large hands into the boy's hair, stroking it comfortingly as he ran his thick fingers through soft silver locks.

"On it," the boy mumbled, raising his hand from his lap, and outside, the snowstorm had calmed down into a light snowfall, delicate white snow falling with grace from the sky, perfectly-formed snowflakes accompanying them on the way down. A smile crossed North's face and he hugged the boy close to himself, Jack responding with a soft groan and scooting even closer to him, huddling into a small ball.

"Good boy," North murmured to him, as he watched Jack's breathing turn steady, his chest rising and falling in regular patterns.

The platinum-haired teen mumbled something incomprehensible, and North chuckled lightly, stroking the boy's hair again. "... What was that?" he asked, keeping his rumbling voice low and soft.

"... 're welcome... dad..."

North's eyes widened. Dad. Oh, how long ago was it when he was last called that?

The memory of Katherine flashed past his mind, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Gently he pressed a kiss to the boy's forehead and sat back, sighing deeply. "Sleep well... son." he whispered, letting his eyes slip closed as well, falling to the darkness of sleep, but not without feeling Jack's smaller hand slip into his. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Phil crept up to them and draped a blanket over both Guardians, before adding a few more logs to the fire, the hint of a smile on the yeti's face as he walked away to leave the two alone with their dreams.

* * *

Father-Son North/Jack is the BEST OH MY GOD /sobbing

It's a headcanon of mine that Jack wants a father figure in his life (seeing as he died without fully living his life out with his family) and that North, what with Katherine gone (well, she's not in the movie, but she's in the books. Wonder what happened, eh?) has this instinct to care for Jack like his own son.

Oh, look. I'm giving myself feels. Oh well. Until next time!


	4. Sweet Dreams - Winter Wonderland

And here comes Sandy! I'm a little unsatisfied with this chapter, actually. I love Sandy to bits (uh, well, _metaphorically_, of course, seeing as he's made out of _sand_ but w/e) and I get this feeling I'm not giving him the right justice with this chapter. I'll write him again soon, he's too amazing to slack off on!

* * *

_Imagine Person A waking up in the middle of the night from a nightmare and calling Person B, who comes over and comforts them._

Warnings: (still) baseless conjecture on characterization (so please don't bash me /sob), Sandy being a sweety /gross sobbing, bukkun's babu feels, bukkun attempting to write nightmares but failing, I just really like Sandy but I have no idea how to write him /even more sobbing

Worried, Phil looked down at the platinum-haired teen, tossing and turning in a fitful sleep as he groaned, knuckle-white grip on the white sheets of his bed as Tooth hovered next to him, even more so worried, shaking her head as she watched the black dreamsand float above Jack's head.

"Oh, Phil, is Sandy here yet?" she asked, worry clear in her voice as she flitted about, looking outside the window for any sign of her fellow Guardian, but the yeti shook his head, and she whined desperately. "Oh, look at him, the poor thing!" she flew around helplessly for a moment, before making up her mind with a definitive nod of her head.

"I have to go. Bunny and North need me. Please, Phil, could you watch over him? I can't be in peace just thinking about him, like this, restless, and..." Phil grunted at her reassuringly, and she sighed, pressing her hand to her chest. "Oh, thank you so much." Gently she kissed him on the forehead, before quickly flying out of the room to discuss with the two other Guardians what had happened to Jack.

* * *

There was darkness, so much darkness, it was suffocating him, just like those horrifying last few seconds of his humanity as he drowned. The air was escaping from his lungs, he couldn't breathe, his air passageways burned _so much_-

Oh, light. In the far distance. Straining with all the weight of the darkness, he reached out for the shimmering, familiar golden light.

Just a little bit closer, nearly there, come on, _please_!

With a loud gasp, Jack awoke, sitting upright, wide awake, as he yelled out a name.

"Sandy!"

A small hand was on his, and his eyes widened. He looked to the bedside, where Sandy sat, smiling at him reassuringly as his small hand smoothed over his. Sighing, Jack calmed down and slumped back into bed.

"He was here, Sandy, he was here, and he... he attacked. It was so _scary_, and-and," Jack began to ramble, but Sandy shook his head, gently patting Jack's hand, before conjuring up his golden dreamsand, transforming them into those beautiful golden dolphins Jack loved so much. A tired smile spread across Jack's face and he looked up at the dolphins flying around his room. "... Thanks, I guess. I feel a bit better."

Sandy nodded, gesturing for Jack to calm down, and conjured up an image of a child sleeping above his head.

"Only if you promise to give me a good dream," Jack replied, sighing as he snuggled backwards in his bed. "And... please, don't leave." Sandy looked at him curious, and he blushed slightly and looked away. "It's just that... I'm scared if Pitch will come back and give me another nightmare. I don't want that."

Sandy smiled in understanding and nodded, before floating up to Jack's side and laid down next to him, snuggling up against him snugly, earning him a smile from the younger Guardian.

"Thanks," he breathed, allowing himself to relax as he felt the reassuring weight of the Guardian beside him, as golden dreamsand swam around in his field of vision, dolphins swimming around in the air as he slowly fell to the darkness of a restful sleep.

Next to him, Sandy smiled, before preoccupying himself with drawing beautiful shapes with his golden dreamsand.

Much later, the other Guardians burst into his room, all concerned for Jack, but Sandy pressed his index finger to his lips, and gestured at the boy sleeping next to him, golden dreamsand swirling above his head, giving him a joyful dream of the Guardians, of Jamie, of happy, carefree snow days.

Tooth had cooed over the scene and kissed his forehead. North stroked his hair and Bunnymund, albeit smiling unabashedly, did not touch the boy in fear of waking him.

They watched over him, all four of them, and Sandy, smiling, slipping in a message in Jack's dream.

_You are very much loved, my boy. Do not let anyone else tell you otherwise._

* * *

Oh, Sandy. I love him so much, so cute and huggable and yet he's such a BAMF /sobbing

Until next time!


	5. Open Up - Black Ice

Here, I would like to apologise for this chapter. Please move on now if this makes you feel in any way weird.

Be warned, this isn't quite as platonic as the other four before it… i'm sorry guilty shipper here shhhh i ship jack with everyone /shot

* * *

_Imagine your OTP feeding each other. maybe they're being sweet and clean, or maybe they're being silly and purposely missing each other's mouths, making a mess._

Warnings: (still) baseless conjecture on characterization (so please don't bash me /sob), Pitch is OOC because, really, I DO WHAT I WANT, and uh, it's a little crackish. I promise I'll write proper evil!Pitch soon, but for now he's… um, half-human?Pitch. Yeah. Warnings for potential dirty thoughts. I AM SO ON SANTA'S NAUGHTY LIST HAHAHAHAHA

Jack couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Pitch Black!" he growled, readying himself as he raised his staff in front of him, ready to defend (or attack, if he must) himself from whatever the Nightmare King had up his sleeve. "You're not going to be able to do anything to the children, ever, do you hear me? Because I'm right here, and don't think I will hesitate to call the others-we'll end you here right now!"

"Oh, Jack," the man clad in black chuckled, shaking his head and taking a step closer, but Jack took a step back, still wary of him as his ice-blue eyes darted around the area to see if there was anything that was going to sneak up on him. "Still so highly-strung. I thought you already knew I was around, ever since the last time we met at Santoff Klaussen."

"Don't even go there," Jack snapped at him, bitterly remembering what had happened-his clothes got doused with Bunnymund's yellow egg bomb paint, forcing Jack to borrow spare clothes from North. He wasn't complaining about what happened after that, though, he had a good night's sleep that evening and he was sure that he and North had grown closer, somewhat, the elder Guardian assuring him that he was welcome to lean on his shoulder whenever he needed it-whenever Jack needed a father to count on.

"I enjoyed your antics that day," Pitch chuckled, walking around in a wide circle, Jack walking around as well, keeping as far away from him as he could. "You were very much like a child. It was almost... oh, what was it, endearing? Oh, what fun I will have frightening _you_."

"As if that'll happen," Jack growled, his fingers twitching to reach for the snow globe North had given him that he had hid in his sweater's front pocket. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk," the man replied, and Jack frowned at him.

"Last time I checked, when you tried that, things didn't turn out very well," he scoffed, "What makes you think I'm going to talk to _you_?"

"Because, really, that is all I want. I want to talk to you." Pitch smiled knowingly, offering his hand to Jack. "If you'd like, I'll even get something domestic to assure you."

Jack cocked his head, confused. "Something... domestic?"

"Yes," Pitch chuckled, "But first, you're going to have to help me steal it first."

* * *

Jack couldn't contain his laughter as he and Pitch burst out of the store's pantry, in each of their hands a tub of ice cream in a flavour they had chosen. Laughing brightly as the two spirits fled from the pantry, behind them yells of alarmed shopkeepers at the sudden disappearance of two tubs of ice cream, Jack spun in place as he flew, happy and carefree as the ridiculousness of the situation sunk into his senses.

He had just stolen two tubs of ice cream; vanilla and chocolate. Not only that, he had stole them with _Pitch_, of all people.

"Oh, my God, I can't believe we did this!" Jack laughed out loud, making a large pile of soft, fluffy snow spring up from the ground ahead of him and he launched himself into it as Pitch slowed down behind him. Still giggling, Jack turned over in his bed of snow, clutching the tub of chocolate ice cream close to himself (and being careful with his staff, currently pinned between his left arm and his body) as he looked up at Pitch, who was looking at him with a curious expression on his face. "That was... that was insane!" he grinned up at the elder spirit.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" the man asked, and Jack paused in his laughter when realisation sunk in-disregarding the fact he had a _ridiculous_ amount of fun stealing ice cream from a store (he made a mental note to himself to do these kinds of things often-he would get into a lot of trouble with North, but frankly, he didn't care), he was currently in the presence of the embodiment of fear himself-Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. Immediately he stiffened up, but much to his surprise, Pitch raised his hands as if to calm him. "Calm yourself. I'm really just asking."

"... Yeah, I am." Jack replied, after a moment. "Hey, look, as much as that was ridiculously hilarious-and it _is_, let me tell you that-exactly _why_ are you doing this? Just... this?"

Pitch looked off to the side, and for a moment, Jack caught a flash of something he hadn't quite noticed before-not taking into account Pitch's frightening aura and murderous intent, he actually looked rather... _human_, almost similar to Jack.

"... Pitch?"

"I want to talk to you, that is all." the man replied after a great length, before offering his hand to the younger spirit. "Come on, up, let's find somewhere where we can eat and talk."

"W-wait, we're going to talk over tubs of ice-cream?" Jack asked, and Pitch grinned at him.

"Didn't I say? I was willing to allow something domestic in our conversation. Ice cream seemed suitable for the occasion, since, well, you're a winter spirit and a child. I assumed you liked sweets."

"I was eighteen when I died, you know." Jack spoke up, and Pitch looked down at him, a hint of surprise crossing his face. "I'm not exactly a kid, Pitch."

"You are exactly one," the Nightmare King replied, before gesturing for Jack to take hold of his hand. "Come now, boy. Up."

Jack looked up at him suspiciously, but took Pitch's hand. The spirit helped him onto his feet, and together, they walked into the park, where they found a picnic table, covered in snow and hidden behind a thick layer of trees.

"Here should do," Pitch declared, setting his tub of vanilla ice-cream down and sitting down across it. "Take a seat, Jack."

Slowly, Jack sat down across Pitch, setting his tub down in front of him, next to the one Pitch had taken. "So." He spoke up, and Pitch smiled at him eerily. A chill ran down his spine, and Jack faced away from the man to focus on making a pair of spoons made out of ice.

"So," Pitch replied, "You have questions?"

"I thought you were the one who wanted to talk." Jack deadpanned, handing Pitch one of the spoons he had finished making.

"But you have more questions for me. Children first." Pitch smirked, and Jack scowled at him, reaching for his tub of ice cream, but suddenly Pitch grabbed it and pulled it close to himself. "Ah, ah."

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Jack protested, but much to his surprise, Pitch opened the tub, dipped his spoon in it and scooped out a spoonful of ice cream, before holding it out at Jack. "Wh-what?"

"Open up," the man grinned, and Jack gaped at him.

"You're not serious." Jack breathed, but Pitch just urged him on with the spoon, the chocolate ice cream on it smooth to the look and tanalisingly delicious to eat. "Pitch..."

"Open up, boy. It's not that difficult."

Unsure, Jack opened his mouth a fraction of an inch, and Pitch pressed the spoon to his lips. "Not wide enough."

Grumbling, the platinum-haired Guardian widened his mouth, and the man in black slipped the spoon in. Quickly he pulled the ice cream off the spoon and pulled back, a little blush of embarrassment on his cheeks, but much to his surprise, Pitch had a hint of a true smile on his face. Blinking, Jack swallowed, his curiosity piqued at the apparent humanity of their archnemesis.

"I would like to have some too, please," the man grinned, almost mockingly, but Jack just rolled his eyes at him. Smiling slightly, he opened Pitch's vanilla ice cream tub and scooped up a large dollop of ice cream.

"Open wide, mister," he smirked, inwardly crowing with pride at the incredulous look on the man's face. Pitch, however, quickly recovered and took hold of Jack's wrist, holding it in place (and grinning slightly at the blush he had managed to generate on the boy's usually pale cheeks) and leant forward, eating up the scoop in three bites. He only let go when he was done, leaning back and grinning as Jack's hand stole backwards, the blush on the Guardian's face intensifying.

"You cheeky little boy." Pitch chuckled, "I can assure you, two can play at that game." He scooped up another spoonful and held it up to Jack. "Come here."

Leaning forward (and faltering slightly, how adorable, Pitch thought amusedly, just like a child he had adamantly denied he was,) Jack opened his mouth gingerly, looking right at the Nightmare King with careful eyes. Smirking, Pitch moved the spoon closer to Jack's mouth, before moving it to the side and missing completely, smearing the boy's cheek with creamy brown chocolate ice cream.

"Hey!" Jack yelled in protest, moving backwards, as Pitch felt laughter bubbling inside of him. Incredulous, Jack counteracted by flicking some vanilla ice cream at the man, but Pitch merely dodged to the side and the ice cream flew past him harmlessly. "That was totally uncalled for!"

"I'll behave this time," Pitch smirked, scooping another spoonful up and holding it out at the winter spirit.

"You'd better," Jack frowned, taking hold of Pitch's thin wrist to keep it there, before eating the ice cream off the spoon.

"See? All better," Pitch grinned, before gesturing at himself. "Come on."

Jack scooped a spoonful of ice cream this time (as Pitch amusedly noticed the boy didn't wipe the smear of chocolate off his cheek) and held it out at Pitch. "Get to it then. And I thought we were supposed to be talking."

"Isn't this more entertaining?" Pitch replied, smoothening his hand down Jack's, feeling the boy's cold skin, earning him a shiver from Jack. "Delicious sweets and pleasant company?"

"I-I can't really call _you_ pleasant," Jack replied, twitching underneath Pitch's touch. "Eat it up already!"

"Patience is a virtue, boy." Pitch chuckled, before eating the ice cream off the spoon-slowly. He pulled away, and the boy was bright red. Amused, he scooped up another spoonful of chocolate and held it out at Jack. He leant forward, and smirking, Pitch purposefully missed again, smearing the chocolate over Jack's parted lips.

"Aim!" the boy yelled at him, grabbing his hand to keep it in place before eating up the ice cream. "Or are you just joking around with me?"

"I don't know, what do you think?" Pitch grinned, and Jack glared at him.

"Oh, okay. Two can play at this game."

* * *

They spent the half-hour either actually feeding each other the ice cream or smearing it onto each other's faces, treating their little game like Russian Roulette, never knowing when the other was going to hit the target and get the ice cream into their mouth, or miss and smear sticky cream on each other's faces.

Jack was laughing brightly, though, after Pitch had poked him in the cheek with his ice cream scoop. He quickly ate up the ice cream and leant back, laughing, as the elder spirit looked at him, a curious expression on his face.

"God, this is so silly," Jack managed between guffaws, "I can't believe I'm actually doing something like this with you," he managed to look at Pitch, cracking one of his brilliant ice-blue eyes open as he clutched his stomach. "Never thought you'd be capable of something like this."

"... So did I." Pitch replied, and Jack paused in his laughter to look at the Nightmare King, surprised at the sudden revelation.

The two spirits looked at each other, yellow eyes locked on to ice-blue, and Pitch couldn't help but notice how the chocolate had smeared across the lower half of Jack's face-chocolate was hanging from his lips, and some smeared his pale cheeks, running down them in a viscous manner, much like...

Jack suddenly burst out laughing, pointing at Pitch, and the man blinked, shaking his head, slightly alarmed at the thoughts that soon filled his head-don't go there, don't go there, Jack is but a _child_, what are you _doing_-

"Oh, my God, you should see your face!" the boy laughed brightly, giggling happily as he kicked his legs wildly, gripping his stomach. "It's like you're thinking of something really stupid!"

Pitch was taken aback at Jack's sudden outburst, but he looked down at the almost-empty tubs of ice cream, and somehow the silliness of the situation managed to push his-embarassingly _uncomfortable_, even for him-and a smile, warm and unfamiliar (evoking a very, very old memory pushed far back in his dark mess of a mind), and eventually the laughter that had been bubbling in him spilled out and he joined in, the two spirits sharing a hearty laugh, loud and happy, until Jack realised that Pitch was laughing along with him and he fell silent, surprised.

Pitch fell silent soon after and the two of them shared a look.

"... You were laughing." Jack said after a moment, and Pitch cleared his throat, looking off to the side. "... Really laughing."

"I think I've spent enough of your time." Pitch hurriedly said, wiping the mess on his face off with his sleeve, before turning to face away from the younger spirit. "Until we meet again, Jack." He nodded, before standing up, turning to leave-

"Hey, wait!" Jack called at him as he summoned darkness to him. "I-I can help, if there's something wrong with you, it doesn't have to be like this-! Hey!"

Pitch turned a deaf ear to Jack's calls as he stepped into the darkness, taking him away to his abode, leaving a confused Jack with two almost-empty tubs of ice cream and an ice-spoon with chocolate still on it, steadily melting as it sat next to a ice-spoon of vanilla, still a perfectly solid ice-spoon.

"... Pitch," Jack breathed. "... You were human, too."

* * *

SORRY BUT I'M NOT SORRY. NOT AT ALL.

I ship Jack with everyone (except Jamie. He's just a kid!) so it's going to be of no surprise things like this will end up showing up in the next fics ahead. This November 30, I'll be watching the film, and when that happens, brace yourself, Fandom. I may just gain the confidence to put dear old Jack into a lot of torturous times ahead.

...

/quietly goes off to die in a corner


	6. Give Us a Kiss! - Toothiana

And then I got hit with Tooth feels. So I wrote a fic. I love her too much. ;m;

* * *

Imagine Person A blowing a kiss to Person B. Person B dodges, and runs. Person A gives chase, and makes sure that the kiss is properly received.

Warnings:(still) baseless conjecture on characterization (so please don't bash me /sob), Tooth being so freaking adorable i'm cry, Jack being a cutie i'm cry, North being super sweet i'm cry, Sandy being Sandy i'm cry, Bunny being tsundere i'm cry, useless warnings, fluff fluff fluff. Also, Bunny making misinterpretations. And, fandom inserts! Whoo! (not a homestuck tho i have no idea what's going on there i just really like john's design shhh don't judge me)

"North!" Tooth's voice called out happily and clearly through the workshop, attracting the attention of the Guardian in question. The man turned around-just as she planted a kiss right on his cheek. The man laughed and lowered the toy hammer he had in his hands (with a gift tag already tied to it, on it written the name of that charming little boy that had asked for it-dear little John Egbert).

"What was that all about?" he asked, touching his cheek as he chuckled, shaking his head fondly.

"Christmas kiss." Tooth giggled, before holding up some mistletoe. "See? I've got some mistletoe with me right here, and I'm going to spread kisses to all you boys!"

North laughed at Tooth's excitement fondly, before pointing to deeper inside the workshop. "Sandy, Jack and Bunny are somewhere in the workshop with me right now, they're helping out with getting some toys designed properly. You can find them there." He said, and Tooth nodded, smiling brightly.

"Thanks a lot, North," she thanked him, before planting another kiss on him-this time, his forehead. North blinked up at her, smiling slightly, and a little blush spread across Tooth's cheeks. "That was for helping me out. You're on my nice list, you know!"

"Oh, are you taking over my job now?" North laughed, making Tooth giggle.

"In fact, yes I am!" she grinned brightly. "Say hello to Toothiana, Queen of the Fairies, and Mother Christmas, to all Guardians everywhere! I give presents to those Guardians who have been good, and according to my nice list, all four of you have been very good Guardians!"

"That's very nice to know," North laughed, "Well, go on. I can't hog your presents, I'll turn to a bad Guardian!" he jokingly smiled. Tooth nodded, and with a little wave, she flitted away, deeper into the workshop.

Chuckling fondly, North turned his attention back to the table, where his eyes wandered over to a small blue box tied with a neat white ribbon. He reached for a gift tag, and wrote on it, '_The Doctor_', before moving to have it tied to the ribbon on the box.

* * *

She found Sandy very quickly, helping out the yetis sort out gift tags to tie to the presents. The sand-man, utilising his golden dreamsand whips, helped the yetis find the tags they were looking for, and coordinated them to each individual child, for after all, besides North, who else knew what each child wanted the best? That was Sandy, and using his knowledge of every single child out in the world, he categorised every present correctly, before letting the yetis put them in storage together for delivery in two weeks.

"Sandy!" she called out to him, catching his attention. He turned around to look at her and smiled, conjuring up a golden question mark above his head. "I've come to deliver your present!" she smiled brightly as she flew over to him, dangling the mistletoe over their heads. Sandy's eyes widened in pleasant surprise as she leant down and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. He cocked his head up at her, still showing her the question mark above his head.

"I'm Mother Christmas," Tooth giggled, "I bring presents to all the Guardians that have been good this year," she winked, and quietly, Sandy laughed behind his hand. "All four of you are on my Nice List, you know."

Sandy conjured up North's image.

"I've already given him his," she nodded, "By the way, have you seen Jack or Bunny? I want to know where I can find them so they don't miss out too."

Sandy conjured up Jack's image, and Tooth nodded. The dreamsand turned into golden dolphins that swam away in the direction where Jack was. Smiling sweetly, Tooth patted Sandy's head. "Thank you, Sandy. Keep up the hard work, okay?" she gave him a small wave, and he returned the favour, before she flew away, her smile widening on her face as she followed the golden dreamsand dolphin deeper into the workshop.

Sandy looked over his shoulder at her, smiling fondly and shaking his head, before turning his attention back to the gifts he was labelling-assigning a tag with '_Sherlock_' written on it to a chemistry set, and a tag with '_Mycroft_' written on it to a sleek black umbrella.

* * *

Tooth saw Jack with a few of the elves, laughing brightly as he watched them attempt-and fail to ice-skate using the 'skates' that they had shabbily put up together. Jack's staff was the centre of the ice-skating rink the elves were using, the winter spirit sitting on top of his staff out of reach of the elves as they stumbled around and on top of each other, crying out in their little voices and language, making Jack laugh out loud all the more.

Tooth shook her head fondly. Boys will always be boys. "Jack!" she called, catching his attention, making him look up from the elves to acknowledge her presence.

"Tooth," he smiled, waving her over. "You got to see these little guys, they're _hilarious_. They think it's possible to skate using _pens_ as skates. Can you believe it?" he laughed, and Tooth smiled, glad to see he was happy. Jack fell silent and looked at her, curiosity on his face. "... Uh, Tooth? Tooth? Is there something on my face or...?" he tipped his head, a questioning look on his face, but Tooth shook her head, smiling.

"I came to give you your present," she smiled, before taking out the mistletoe she had brought with her. "C'mere," she cooed, before planting a soft kiss on the teen's cheek. An embarassed blush spread across Jack's cheeks and his lips twitched in an awkward smile as she pulled away, giggling at how cute he looked.

"Wh-what's up with that?" Jack managed to ask, and Tooth grinned at him.

"I'm Mother Christmas, Jack. I bring presents to good Guardians, and sweety," she ran her hand through his hair, "You're on my nice list."

"I'm forever on North's naughty list, I think." Jack chuckled, shaking his head. "But thanks. For, uh, the present."

Tooth giggled. "So, what about North? And Sandy?"

"I've already given them theirs. Do you know where Bunny is?" she asked, and Jack's smile turned into a mischevious grin.

"Oh, do I," he shook his head, before taking her small hand. "Follow me. This is going to be _rich_." He snickered, getting off his staff and lifting it into the air, the sheet of ice underneath it disappearing, leaving the elves with no ice to attempt skating on. Their yells of protest filled the air as Jack pulled Tooth in the direction of the Globe Room.

* * *

"There he is," Jack hissed quietly as he and Tooth hid behind a wall, eyeing Bunnymund, who was lounging on the armchair, carefully painting an egg. "Go for it, Tooth." he grinned at the elder Guardian, who nodded at him, a determined expression on her face. As quietly as she could, she flew over to behind him, but the sound of her rapidly-beating hummingbird wings caught Bunnymund's attention, and quickly the Pooka whirled around, boomerangs at the ready, to face her.

She let out a shout of alarm and tumbled back slightly, and that made Bunnymund realise that whoever it was that tried to sneak up on him was just Tooth and not some enemy.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, mate," Bunnymund apologised, holding up his paws to help her steady herself and to calm her down. "Why'd you have to sneak up on me like that?"

"W-well, I..." Tooth peered over Bunnymund's shoulder to see Jack miming at her to not tell, exaggeratedly pressing his index finger to his lips, and mouthing '_Don't tell him about me! Don't tell him!_' "I... was going to give you your present." she said slowly, making Bunnymund look at her, confused.

"... Christmas is two weeks away, Tooth," he said, and she smiled sheepishly, shrugging helplessly.

"I'm Mother Christmas." She replied, "I bring presents to good Guardians, and you, Bunny, have been a very good Guardian this year." She smiled, before swinging the mistletoe between them. Bunnymund's eyes widened, and immediately he hopped away. Tooth's eyes widened in surprise. "Bunny? North, Sandy and Jack didn't react like you did."

"No, you're not kissin' me, alright, Tooth? It's alright like this, thanks a lot for considering me to be nice-Tooth!"

She had blown him a kiss, but he dodged out of the way. Seeing his antics, Tooth giggled brightly and flew closer to Bunnymund, who only moved away. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jack doubling over in silent laughter as the winter spirit muffled his laughs behind his sweater's sleeve, tears already poking out of the corner of his eyes as Jack clung onto the wall for purchase as he almost fell over laughing. Tooth's smile widened and she turned her attention back to Bunnymund.

"Oh, no, sir, you're not exempted from this!" she grinned, before flying right towards Bunnymund. The Pooka's eyes went wide like saucers and immediately he bounced away, getting on all fours to move faster to run away. "Hey! Wait!" Tooth called after him and gave chase.

Inwardly, Bunnymund cursed North's rule of no tunnels in Santoff Klaussen, leaving him no choice but to simply _run_ as fast as he could to avoid any embarrassing situations that may occur after that kiss Tooth wanted to give him.

He felt totally confused about it-how could North and Sandy not mind? Getting kissed... _there_? On the lips? What were they thinking? Wasn't that supposed to be reserved for someone totally special?

And Jack! He was just a child! That would have been his _first..._!

"Bunny!" Tooth called after him, and panicked, he ran faster-

"Oh, Bunny. What's wrong?" North's rumbling voice asked as Bunnymund skidded to a halt in the nick of time to avoid hitting North. "What are you running around for?"

"Tooth!" Bunnymund replied, making a move to shove North out of the way-

When ice froze his feet into place. Immediately Bunnymund's face scrunched up into a look of disdain as he looked behind him to see Jack holding up his staff, pointed right at him, a smirk on the young Guardian's face.

"I'm telling you, Frostbite, you let go of me _right_ _now_, or I swear, I'll-"

"Bunny!" Tooth called out brightly, clapping her hands together. "Caught up with you!"

"Frostbite!" Bunnymund yelled desperately, leaning back as far as he could as Tooth leaned in closer. "_Jackson Overland Frost_!"

Unfortunately, Bunnymund's desperate yell of Jack's full name wasn't enough for the winter spirit to let him go-bitterly, Bunnymund thought, the little brat was enjoying this too much-and Jack only grinned at him cheekily from the sidelines, where he stood next to North, who looked on at the scene in interest as Sandy flew to them on a cloud of dreamsand, a question mark in golden sand above his head.

"Tooth, you don't know what you're doing," he tried instead, facing his fellow Guardian, who was smiling at him. "Take a moment to think it over, just think-_Toothiana_!"

Tooth gave him a chaste peck on his forehead. "There we go!" she smiled, pulling away. "Now you've got it!"

"... What...?" Bunnymund blinked, as he slumped forward, confused, completely ignorant of the ice trapping his feet disappearing. "... What did you do?"

"I kissed you," Tooth replied, "On the forehead. I kissed everyone!" she smiled, "North, on his cheek and forehead," she counted off on one dainty finger, "Sandy, on his cheek, and Jack,"

"Right here," the winter spirit supplied, poking his cheek proudly. "Looks like _someone_ overreacted." He smirked at the Pooka, who glared at him.

"I'm going to _get_ you, Frostbite."

"Try me," Jack smirked, before bolting away, laughing brightly as he yelled at the top of his lungs, "The kangaroo's afraid of little kisses!" he got on his staff like a broomstick and flew into the air, still laughing. "Scared of cooties!" he teased, and Bunnymund growled at the younger Guardian.

"Oh, that is it, Frostbite! Tonight you're going _down_!"

Tooth laughed, shaking her head fondly, as Sandy sighed silently, smiling lightly as he watched the two chase each other around the globe room. North walked up to Tooth's side, smiling.

"Had fun?" he asked her, and she nodded.

"Yes," she replied, "I... I think I understand why you love your job so much," she smiled up at him, and he returned her smile.

"Given the chance, I think I'd love yours, too." he replied, and Tooth's smile widened-

Suddenly something crashed from the other side of the room, behind the globe.

"Sorry! I'll fix that!" Jack's voice called out from the other side, soon followed by bright laughter. "Maybe later! Can't catch me, kangaroo!"

Loud, happy laughter filled the room, and the other three Guardians soon joined in. Calming down slightly, Tooth looked at her fellow Guardians-happy, carefree Jack, stressed but kind-hearted Bunnymund, patient and tolerant Sandy, and gentle, warm North-and melted a little.

In spite of her declaring that she had given them all gifts, she felt like she was the one given a gift-the gift of a loving family.

* * *

I just... I love Bunny, for being so tsundere. Really. /sobbing

I love everyone. /ugly sobbing

Until next time!


	7. Rest Up, My Darling - Christmas Cookie

I just... really _really_ like Toothiana. She's really rooting her way into my feels.

* * *

_Imagine your OTP taking care of each other. Person A has the flu and Person B is making them soup, taking their temperature and insisting they rest up._

Warnings: (still) baseless conjecture on characterization (so please don't bash me /sob), Tooth being so freaking adorable i'm cry, North being super sweet i'm cry, domestic!Guardians, HUMAN AU, YES I MADE AN AU. BITE ME., shipping feels, these two being the PERFECT WEDDED COUPLE I CAN'T, basically written to demonstrate North/Tooth feels, has no plot in the end but I DON'T CARE I LOVE THEM SO MUCH /SOBBING

Notes: Human!AU. Tooth and North are happily married and they have two kids: Sandy and Jack, where in this fic, they're around 10 and 3, respectively. They have a neighbour whose son, Aster, comes over to babysit often, since Tooth was his teacher when he was in Kindergarten and he really likes her. He's around 14. Sandy was born mute but had learnt to use sign language so everything's okay. Yep. They all know how to understand sign language so it's all cool.

I JUST LOVE THIS AU OKAY DON'T JUDGE ME

* * *

A tug at Toothiana's skirt caught her attention and she turned her head and looked down to see Sandy looking up at her. She smiled down at him sweetly, rocking the toddler she had in her arms gently to keep it asleep. "What is it, Sandy?" she asked, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. The little boy pointed at the master bedroom and signed to her, "_Dad doesn't seem very well_."

Her eyes widened slightly. How odd, this morning North seemed fine. She bent down slightly and gently handed the toddler to Sandy. "Hold your brother carefully, okay, Sandy? I'll go look up on Daddy," she smiled, and the boy nodded, taking his baby brother into his hands and cradling him in his arms delicately. Nodding, Toothiana straightened up and walked over to the bedroom, where North was sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard, looking tired.

"Oh, North," she sighed, sitting down next to him, pressing her hand to her husband's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, I promise," the man replied, before attempting to get up, but Toothiana firmly but gently pushed him back down. "Tooth," he sighed at her, but she shook her head.

"North, you're burning up. I think you've got the flu. Now, I suggest you get back in bed and rest up, okay?" she asked, and the man smiled tiredly at her, brushing his fingers against his wife's cheek lovingly. She smiled back at him, before easing him backwards into bed. "I'll go to work late, I'll fix up some soup for you so that you'll be okay. You're lucky today's a snow day, the kids don't have classes so I'll leave Sandy in charge. I'll call Aster over too, and as soon as I'm done at the university, I'll come straight back home, okay?"

"Oh, Tooth, what will I do without you?" North chuckled, leaning up and giving her a chaste kiss. She giggled lightly, and stood up.

"Okay, I want you resting and lying down and not doing anything when I come back, alright?" Toothiana asked, and her husband, chuckling tiredly, raised his hand in understanding. Smiling fondly, she left the room and headed straight to the kitchen, where she saw Sandy putting his half-awake brother into the baby seat, shaking a little golden rattle in front of him gently to wake him up.

"You're such a sweet boy, Sandy," she gently said to her son, kissing his head lightly, before stroking the little hairs growing from her baby's head. "And you, dear Jack, good morning, baby!"

"Ma... ma," the toddler mumbled, and she giggled, letting his small hand curl around her finger as she rubbed her cheek against his. "Mama," he repeated, more confident this time, and her smile widened.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm mama, Jack," she nodded, rubbing her fingertip on the toddler's smooth cheek, "Good morning. I'm going to make soup for daddy, okay? Since he doesn't feel very well." Sandy tugged at her skirt and she turned her attention to her other son, who signed to her, "_Should I go get the soup mix_?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Sandy," she said as the blonde boy made his way over to the lower cupboards to go look for a can of Campbell's they still had around. "D'you want breakfast, Jack?" she asked, looking back at her little boy, who was looking at her with wide, ice-blue eyes. "Baby hungry?"

Jack babbled something, and a smile crossed Toothiana's face. Jack mirrored her smile, before waving his hands, still babbling.

"Okay, sweety," she smiled, pulling away from Jack to reach at the higher cupboards and putting a jar of baby food on the counter, just as Sandy had put the canned soup right next to it. "I'll take care of that, okay? Think you can feed Jack, Sandy?" she asked. The boy nodded, confidently smiling, before pulling a drawer open and getting a spoon out.

"_You can count on me, mum,_" he signed to her, before opening the jar determinedly. Chuckling fondly, Toothiana took hold of the can to get started on the soup.

* * *

The smell of mushroom soup reached North's senses as his vision swam into clarity, his eyes blearily opening as he saw Toothiana's silhouette enter the room. A tired smile crossing his face, he struggled to sit up as his wife came to his side, holding a tray with a bowl of steaming soup on it.

"Here you go," she smiled, "I made more, but it's in the fridge. Aster's about to come over soon, he'll know what to do." she told him, before taking a spoonful of soup and blowing on it. "Careful, honey, it's hot," she warned, before bringing the spoon close to him.

Gratefully, North allowed himself to be spoon-fed, smiling as he fondly committed to memory the details of everything-the glimmering stones on Toothiana's necklace, the vibrant green of her blouse and the royal blue of her skirt, her glimmering violet eyes filled with care and love, the warmth of the soup as it went down his aching throat, relieving it slightly.

"You used the canned soup, didn't you?" he asked, and Toothiana blushed slightly, lightly batting her husband's shoulder.

"It wasn't like I had the time to whip something up from scratch," she replied defensively, but there was a smile on her face as she said that. "I have to go to work soon."

The doorbell ringing caught her attention, followed by the sound of it opening. "Oh, Aster's here. Sandy must have let him in."

"Miss Tooth?" Aster's voice called from outside. "I'm here!"

"Hi! I'll be there in a moment!" she called back, before turning her attention to North. "Rest up, okay? I'll just go grab the thermometer and see your temperature." She said, getting up and collecting the used utensils. "Stay right there," she smiled, and North held up his hands.

"Not really going anywhere," he laughed weakly, and Toothiana giggled, before leaving the room.

* * *

"Hey, Miss Tooth," Aster greeted her as she stepped out of the master's bedroom. "How's Mr. North?"

"He's burning up, but I'm just going to make sure he's not running a really high fever." She replied, "Oh, and thank you so much for coming over. You're such a big help to us."

"It's nothin'," Aster replied, grinning sheepishly, "It's not like I have anything better to do, and 'sides," he grinned at Sandy, who was feeding a brightly giggling, messy-around-the-mouth little Jack, who looked rather exasperated at how messy his little brother was. "I'm good friends with Sandy. It's okay."

"Thank you, all the same," Toothiana smiled, "Um, could you please...?" she held up the tray that had the used bowl, and nodding, Aster took it from her. "I have to get the thermometer."

"I'll get this lot washed," Aster nodded, before making his way to the sink, laughing and already talking to Sandy about Jack. Smiling fondly, Tooth made her way to the bathroom and reached for the medical kit, pulling out a digital thermometer. She cleaned the bud at the end, before making her way back to the master's bedroom.

"North?" she asked, "I've got the thermometer. Let's have a look," she said, sitting down at her husband's side. "Open up."

North took the thermometer from her, gently smiling, and she could only chuckle and smile back, before putting it in his mouth. They waited for a while, until the thermometer beeped, signalling it had finished taking the man's temperature. Toothiana pulled it out of his mouth and inspected it.

"38.5," she frowned. "I knew it." Shaking her head, she stood up. "I'll drop by the drug store on my way back from the university," she declared. "I'll go pick up some medicine. Rest up, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," North chuckled, and she smiled, before leaning down and giving him a soft kiss.

"I'll see you later, honey," she smiled, before walking out the door.

* * *

Oh, and Aster still calls her Miss because that's what he was used to calling her ever since and he didn't really want to change.

AU canon, btw: Aster had that cute little-boy-crushing-on-his-teacher thing with Tooth back then, but when he found she was married, he was _devastated._ HAHAHAHAHA SO CUTE

Ahem. Jack's a baby, like, literally, because, well. Isn't that just cute? 8D

And since all the other fics out there were him getting sick, I just decided to go for North getting sick. The other Guardians need love too! C:

Until next time!


	8. Hot to the Touch - AngusJack (Foe-Yay)

Remember when I said OC's were minor? I lied I am so sorry it's just that my bestie Cas is an ass and he wants me to do shit I don't want to but then I secretly do shhh we're not in that kind of relationship

* * *

Warnings: Severe Jack whumpage, book!knowledge, so I have basis on personality, yay, North being mysterious i'm cry, Jack getting so confused i'm cry, Bunny i'm cry, lots and lots of fire. FLAMES, OC Alert!, **E. FUCKING ASTER BUNNYMUND ATE CHOCOLATE OMG**, Pitch's suspiciously pedo plans for younger people (seriously, he wanted Katherine as his Nightmare Princess, and both Nightlight and MiM as his Nightmare Prince. So now, Jack. YAAAY), bukkun gettting oc feels, cas being an ass

Disclaimer: While this is a part of Water Below Zero (and may just merit its own thing, I don't know yet) it is not written because of an Imagine Your OTP prompt, and is instead written up because of my own volition. So, more disclaimers: I also do not own the OC here. Well, I kinda do, but then I don't, it's pretty complicated but I'm just going to say that he was made by both me and by bestie Cas. (Who, by the way, doesn't have a Tumblr or an account and instead uses mine to derp around and stalk fandom blogs. He says it's too troublesome to run a blog. My ass!) Just a brief explanation: Angus is the spirit of Fire, and Destruction. Literally, all he is for is for breaking things. He brings about calamities-volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis, since he has domain over both fire (and according to Earth studies, the Earth is a ball of magma, blah, blah, blah, it still doesn't explain how Katherine, Bunnymund and North got to the core of the Earth, but w/e) and heat.

So, a perfect match for Jack Frost? I think not. On with the story!

* * *

"A lovely day to be out, isn't it, dear old _friend_?"

Bunnymund's ears perked upright as he straightened up stiff, as he stood up on his hind legs, pulling out his boomerangs as quickly, he rammed his thumb into the snow globe he had hidden in his belt. The tiny globe's glass shattered quietly, sending a message to the other Guardians that a threat had entered his warren.

"What do you want, Pitch?" he growled, turning around cautiously as he egg stone guards stood as well, stone griding against stone audible through the air as they turned to look around the area. "Show yourself! Don't be a bloody coward," he called out, and all around him, the man's laughter rang like a heavy tune, horrifying and worrying all at the same time, sending chills down Bunnymund's spine, but he did not show his apprehension. Around him his little egg soldiers were on full alert, golden-armour glinting in the sunlight as they charged into the warren, egg-tipped arrows and egg-handled swords at the ready for any oncoming attack.

"Oh, Bunnymund. Still so highly-strung? Why not a greeting? We are such old acquaintances."

"Pitch Black!" Bunnymund growled threateningly, "Stop playing around with me right now and make yourself known to me! I don't have time for your bloody games!"

Dark chuckling caught his attention behind him and Bunnymund whirled around to see Pitch standing in the distance behind him, near the end line of trees, almost at the gateway where his warren was closed off from the human world. Growling, Bunnymund slowly approached the smirking man, who stood ominously right at the exit of the warren.

"What do you want?" he demanded, and Pitch merely grinned at him. "Answer me!"

"I merely want the presence of your fellow Guardians," he replied, and Bunnymund's eyes widened. He had played right into the man's plan!

Immediately he backed off, running away to reach into his boomerang sling, pulling out a device North had made for faster contact. "It's a trap!" he yelled desperately, bouncing left and right, dodging into pre-existing tunnels and some instantly-new ones. "Don't come to my warren! It's a trap!"

Too late, however, Bunnymund thought with disdain as he heard a familiar voice call out his name from high above.

"Bunny!" Jack's voice called from the skies. "Where are you?!"

"Get out of here, Frostbite! You're doing exactly what he wants!" Bunnymund yelled at him, charging out of a burrow to let himself be known. Jack spotted him from his place high above the warren, right in the middle of the clearing, floating with his staff in his hand. "Run!"

Jack looked conflicted, looking at his fellow Guardian. He wanted to help Bunnymund out, but...

"Not so fast," Pitch's calm voice suddenly spoke up right next to his ear, and in alarm, Jack charged away-only to have a Fearling grab at his ankle, pulling him violently to the ground, forcefully slamming him onto it, knocking the wind right out of Jack's lungs. His staff flew out of his hand and clattered away into one of the tunnels, where Bunnymund was assured that one of the stone guardians of his warren had gotten its hands on it, and would now guard it from the Fearlings. A cold wind, fast, brutal and torrential swept through the area, and Bunnymund, shock on his face saw droplets of ice forming on the leaves of the plants around him.

"Frostbite!" he yelled over the din of Fearlings swirling about, cutting through row after row of Fearlings to get to the fallen spirit. Pitch looked at him impassively as he lowered himself to the ground right next to Jack, who, groaning, tried to get up-

But then he gasped in pain and shock as Pitch's foot slammed down on top of his raising arm and brought it back down to the ground again with a sickening pop of the boy's joints.

"Get away from him!" Bunnymund growled, pulling out egg bombs from his belt and tossing them in all directions, spraying clouds of colour everywhere (evoking a rather amusing memory regarding Jack's clothes and his egg bombs in his mind, but now was not the time for giggling and games), driving Fearlings back. The Pooka charged straight at Pitch, who, with so much as a flick of his hand, summoned a huge black mare right in front of Bunnymund, charging straight at him. Bunnymund's eyes widened, and he braced himself, bringing his two boomerangs together in front of him and parried the blow right as it hit him. Gritting his teeth, Bunnymund resisted the push, but he was pushed back a few feet, his feet's claws digging into the ground.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," he murmured to himself, and freed himself from the lock he had with the mare, turning both him and the Fearling creature and releasing his hold, charging the mare straight at another crowd of Fearlings. It charged, destroying its kind along the way. Panting slightly, Bunnymund reached into his belt and pulled out a chocolate egg.

"I warned ya, mate," he murmured, peeling away the golden wrapper. "Get away from Frostbite."

He popped the chocolate into his mouth.

* * *

Jack had never seen Bunnymund actually eat chocolate before, and when he saw the large Pooka had popped a chocolate egg into his mouth, both confusion and alarm spread through his mind.

Ignoring the ache that was coming from his dislocated elbow, Jack tried pushing his head up to look at where Bunnymund was-and his eyes widened as he saw the already-large rabbit grow bigger, wilder, more powerful than he had seen Bunnymund ever before. "... Whoa." He breathed, as above him, Pitch clicked his tongue.

"And so the Pooka resorts to drastic measures," he said, contempt in his voice, before twisting his foot, still on Jack's dislocated elbow. The teen let out a groan of pain, writhing around on the floor as the pain from both the abuse on his wound and from the fall he had taken blossomed anew inside him. "My Fearlings! Stop him at all costs!"

Shadows danced at his command, and they surged forward to attack Bunnymund, powered anew, and with a mighty cry that left Jack speechless with awe and Pitch twitching slightly, the Pooka attacked with renewed frenzy.

"Now, as for you," Pitch spoke up, looking down at Jack, who glared up at him from where he was. "You have an unfortunate ability of getting something I want," he said, gesturing at a Fearling as he got his foot off Jack's elbow. The teen let out a sigh of relief, but winced and hissed in pain again as the clawed talons of an eagle-shaped Fearling grasped him there in place of Pitch's foot and pulled him up to his feet by it.

Jack gasped as pain ran through his body-his ribs must be harmed in some way, his entire torso hurt, and there may be minor muscle damage. The eagle lifted him up until he was hovering just above the ground, the entirety of his weight resting on top of his abused elbow.

"Comfortable?" Pitch asked, humour in his voice, and Jack scoffed at him, sending him the worst glare he could muster without his face contorting in pain.

"Yeah, totally," he replied, smirking somewhat. He knew Pitch thrived on fear, so he pushed down his thoughts of pain and worry for Bunnymund to the back of his mind. "Keep it up like this and I just might never leave." He would not show fear. Not in front of this man. Pitch frowned. The eagle's talons tightened around Jack's dislocated elbow and pain shot down from it, making him hiss in pain.

"I may have to beat the sass out of you, boy," he frowned, disdainful, "But no matter. That can be addressed later, when I'm done with this tedious matter, and when you become my Nightmare Prince. Come, we must go."

Jack's eyes widened. _Nightmare Prince?_ Where was he taking him?

"_Bunnymund_!" he screamed at the top of his voice, both panicked and fearful, as all around him his vision darkened, Fearlings surrounding every nook and cranny of his vision.

* * *

Bunnymund's ears perked at the sound of Jack's scream. "No," he breathed, as he cut down another Fearling just in time to see Jack and Pitch disappear into a ball of darkness. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his fists into the ground, shaking up the entirety of the warren, rock guardians toppling over on top of the Fearlings, taking them all out. When the last of the black sand faded away, Bunnymund was left alone in the silent, still warren.

"Bloody hell," he murmured, and he looked down to see North's device beeping red. Frowning, he took it out of his belt and pressed the light.

"_Bunny! What do you mean it's a trap_?" his old friend's voice demanded from the other side, "_What's going on out there? Are you alright_?"

"We've got bad news, mate," Bunnymund replied, "He's got Frostbite."

"_What? Jack? But I thought you said-_"

"I _know_ what I said," the Pooka growled, angry at himself for being so foolish, so... human. How long ago it felt when he was so detached from them. "He got here before I could warn him. Now Pitch has him."

"_Do you know what for_?"

"No, but I'm about to find out. I'm going ahead, you, Tooth and Sandy get over here as soon as you can."

He didn't wait for North to reply, resolutely pressing the button to end their transmission, before getting on all fours and running straight out of the warren.

* * *

"What do you want with me?" Jack demanded the darkness around him in an attempt to ignore the pain in his elbow, but he was certain that Pitch was right next to him, if the chilly feeling all around him (that he didn't cause, mind you,) was anything to go by. "What do you mean by ability? If you're expecting me to get you something, let me tell you now, Pitch, whatever it is, I'm not doing anything. The ice cream was the last thing I'm going to get with you."

"Who ever said that you were going to have to do anything?" the man's voice replied, as all around him, Jack could see the darkness dissipating to reveal that they were at a dry, dead forest. It was currently the middle of summer (and Jack could tell that they were still in Australia, they hadn't traveled that far) and the heat was absolutely blistering. The hot air all around him made Jack feel uneasy, and weakened, he sagged underneath the eagle-Fearling that was carrying him. "Put him there," he heard Pitch order, and Jack was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground without warning, his body heavily hitting the floor.

"Hey!" he yelled in protest, but shadows shaped as spikes formed all around him, all of them pointed right at his neck, forcing him to pause in his movement. Jack fell silent and glared at Pitch, who was standing under the shade of a cloud of darkness. "What the heck is this all about?" he demanded, secretly reaching for his jacket pocket, where inside was North's transmitting device. Secretly he pressed the transmission button. "Why'd you have to dump me in the middle of a dry forest in the middle of freaking Australia in midsummer? Right underneath direct sunlight? Do you know what that does for me?"

"Perfectly," Pitch replied, completely unaware of what Jack was doing. Miles away, North, Tooth, Sandy and a very angry Bunnymund were listening in on their conversation (each on their own devices) as they immediately began to head for the forest Jack was in with great haste.

"So, what gives? Thought you were, uh, turning me to a Nightmare Prince-whatever." Jack took in a sharp hiss of breath as the spikes drew nearer to his throat.

"I'd rather you keep that sass where it belongs, boy," Pitch glared at him, "You're here to deliver to me either a nuisance or an ally. And believe me when I tell you this;" Pitch smirked down at him, "You will really wish for me here when he comes for you."

Jack looked up at him, confused, but suddenly a pair of boomerangs destroyed the spikes around Jack and a blur of gray fur tackled Pitch onto the ground. Seeing his chance, Jack got up (albeit in deep pain, but right now getting into the shade and out of trouble was the top priority) and stumbled over towards a tree that still, somehow, had some leaves on it. The moment he was out of the sun, Jack instantly felt better, and he sighed, looking over his shoulder to see that Bunnymund was now grappling with Fearlings that Pitch had conjured up. His eyes widened. "Bunny!"

"Frostbite! You alright?" the Pooka asked, pushing the Fearlings away from him and running towards Jack. "Did he do anything to you?"

"Melt me," Jack frowned, rolling his eyes, "Oh, and my elbow's got some problems."

Bunnymund frowned, but the roar of Fearlings caught their attention, and Pooka and winter spirit looked behind them to see a horde of Fearlings charging straight at them, a very angry Pitch right behind them. Their eyes widened, and they braced themselves for the impact-

But none came, as North, Tooth and Sandy arrived, taking the Fearlings by surprise and easily defeating them.

"My staff!" Jack called out in relief as Sandy handed it to him, patting his hand reassuringly. "Thanks." he smiled down at his fellow Guardian, who smiled back at him. Jack looked himself over and began to tend to himself, ghosting his hands over where his body hurt the most, sending snow, cold wind and ice to his body, cooling himself down in the heat of the Outback in summer.

Swords glinting in the sunlight, North turned to look at Pitch, poining one of them at him like he did so long ago. "You are defeated now," he declared, "Go away into the shadows where you belong, Pitch Black."

Pitch glared at him, standing up tall, defiant, as a cloud of darkness loomed above him, protecting him from the worst of the sunlight. "I won't run. Not this time."

North's expression was unreadable, and Jack couldn't tell what was going on through the man's mind-why won't he attack Pitch?

Suddenly, all around them, the forest was set ablaze.

"Forest fire!" Bunnymund called out, as red, angry flames rose from the trees, burning everything in its path. "Everyone! Get out of here!"

Tooth grabbed Jack's hand, and he looked up at her. She smiled at him reassuringly, before the two of them took flight alongside Sandy, as Bunnymund opened up a tunnel for him and North to run into. Pitch made his escape as well, clicking his tongue and slinking into a shadow before disappearing. As they flew further away from the forest on fire, Jack looked behind him to see it was affecting a relatively small area of the forest.

"Hey, wait up," he told Tooth, "I can stop that," he said, and she looked at him, incredulous.

"Jack, no! It's too hot out here, what if you run out of strength?" she protested, but he shook her head and grinned at her.

"Then believe in me, yeah?" he asked, pulling his hand away from hers and flying back towards the burning forest. Panicked, Tooth grabbed Sandy's shoulder, and the sand-man blinked at her, alarmed.

"Jack went to put out the fire! We've got to bring him back here!" she yelled, just as far below them, Bunnymund and North emerged from a tunnel.

"Where's Jack?" North called up to them, and Tooth and Sandy flew down to them, the both of them distressed.

"He went back," Tooth explained, "He wants to put the fire out!"

"What?!" the two other Guardians gasped in unison, before turning their heads to look at the violently-burning forest.

* * *

Jack pulled a face and covered his nose and mouth with his jacket's sleeve as he made his way back to the clearing where Pitch had tried holding him captive. Much to his shock, there were still Fearlings loitering about.

"I can't have them here, the humans are going to come by and they'll just get attacked!" he growled, before surging forward, ice-staff brandished, shooting ice and snow left and right, taking out the Fearlings one by one.

It wasn't long until he heard someone laughing behind him, and another presence right at his back. "What-?" Jack spun around to see a young man, dressed in a vest and shorts, laughing as he fought alongside Jack, fire bursting from his fingertips as he attacked all the Fearlings in sight. Jack's eyes widened to see that the teen was glowing, much like the fire was, and that fire emerged from his head like it was his hair. The teen, realising his partner had stopped, also stopped at looked back at Jack.

Amber-coloured eyes met with ice-blue and a look of bewilderment and confusion was met with a smirk.

"What're you standin' around for?" the boy asked, his voice teasing and thick with a Scottish accent. "Can't you see we're in a bit of trouble?"

"R-right," Jack nodded, and turned his attention back at the Fearlings, blasting at them with full power as slowly, he and the mysterious boy worked together to take them all out.

It didn't take long, with the both of them working together, to take out all the Fearlings. Soon the very last one of them disappeared into the wind as black sand, mixing with the ash and burning wood around them. Jack sighed and leant heavily on his staff as the other boy lowered his hands and looked at him, still with that smirk on his face. Somehow, the teen's smirk was unnerving Jack, but he couldn't think of a reason why.

"So," Jack spoke up, tired and sweaty (he had rolled up the sleeves of his jacket and they were now bunched up at his elbows) "Thanks for that. My name's Jack Frost. You must be a spirit." He held out his hand for the boy to shake. "Since you're handling fire and all. What's your name?"

The boy grinned at Jack. "You really don't want me touching you, Jack Frost." He told Jack, who, confused, lowered his hand. "My name is Angus. I'm a fire spirit."

"Oh, so that's why," Jack nodded, "Well, um. Mind helping me out here? We got to put out the fire as much as we can so the humans can take care of it no prob."

"Who ever said I was done fighting?" Angus grinned at him, and Jack raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Excuse me?" he blinked, and suddenly, in a flash, Angus was on him, hand enveloped by an angry red flame, wrapped around the front of Jack's throat. The winter spirit's eyes widened and he fell back onto the ground as burning, searing pain ran through his body-the feeling of his throat on fire and getting strangled all at the same time was far worse than the other wounds he had sustained with Pitch. He couldn't even scream for help. His hands grappled to fight against Angus's searing touch, but the fire spirit, grinning down at him, his amber eyes wild and lit up, knocked his staff out of his hands with his free one and tightened his grip.

"You will not believe how long I waited for this moment-to catch you where I want you, alone and weakened, and oh so vulnerable to burn," he hissed at the silver-haired teen, who looked up at him in shock as his throat constricted and burned, pain overloading his senses, rendering them useless as all Jack could concentrate on was the hand at his throat and the burning, the fire, the pain, the _flames burning his ice-cold skin_-

"Please," Jack managed to plead, his voice hoarse as he felt the flames lick at his vocal chords, "_Please_,"

Angus looked down at him, seemingly ponderous, but quickly his expression turned devilish and tossed the winter spirit aside, dangerously close to the flames surrounding them. "This forest's fire, I made it myself. Do you like it?" he asked, and Jack's eyes widened. "Yes, that's right. I'm responsible for all those forest fires. And earthquakes, and volcano eruptions," Angus snickered, "Aren't I a naughty boy? And you thought you were always on North's naughty list."

_I _am_, and __**you **__aren't even worth North's time_, Jack wanted to yell out at him, but his throat hurt too much, it was burned so terribly, Jack began to fear he wouldn't be able to talk again. Instead, he settled for glaring at the fire spirit in front of him as his mind raced: he needed to get out of here. He needed help, and the other Guardians are outside the fire, with no idea of what is going on inside. He grit his teeth. He had to find out some way of escape, or he was going to get seriously injured here.

"So, I don't like putting out my flames, any of them, actually, but for some strange reason, the humans always like putting them out. And you know what? It hurts." Angus continued, "It hurts, Jack! Like your body is being stung by so many bees! Do you know who's the person who's the best at putting them out is?" Jack blinked at him. "That's right," Angus snarled, pointing at him and sending a fireball his way. Jack's eyes widened and he rolled aside to dodge it. "You are, you bloody little winter spirit. You have no idea how much I have yearned to burn you to ashes!"

_Too bad,_ Jack thought smugly, _I'm just as immortal as you are, pal._

"But," Angus smirked, "Just killing you here and now isn't that fun, isn't it?" he lifted a finger, and a small flame lit up at his fingertip. "So, I want you to make it more interesting."

Warily, Jack got onto his feet, eyeing the flame in Angus' hands and his staff, lying a few feet away. "Tell you what, Jack," Angus smirked at him. "If you can make it to your staff without me catching any part of you with my flames, I'll even let you have a headstart." Jack gaped at him, shocked. "What?" Angus grinned, "Why so surprised? I'm letting you run, you little fool. On the count of three; one, two..." Jack took a deep breath (pointedly ignoring the pain it brought as the hot, thick air went down his burnt throat) and carefully kept one eye on his staff, and another on Angus's finger, now pointed right at him, the tiny flame growing bigger and bigger. "Three."

Without a second's hesitation, Jack ran straight at his staff.

* * *

"Jack's taking too long!" Tooth complained, worry settling deep inside her. "There's something wrong in there, definitely!"

Sandy nodded in silent agreement, and Bunnymund looked at North. "What're we going to do? Forest fires are going to take too bloody long to take out, they're too violent to be taken out just like that,"

"I know," North frowned, "But something is telling me that there is something else going on inside there." He turned to look at Bunnymund. "I will go in." He declared, pulling off his coat and unsheathing one of his swords. "If anything goes wrong, get lots and lots of water ready. Bunny, I know you are the one experienced with these kinds of fires. Do what you can."

"You got it, mate," Bunnymund nodded, before turning to Tooth and Sandy to discuss what to do. North, nodding resolutely, turned to look at the forest and steeled himself.

"You remember everything, everything he has taught you," he murmured to himself, "I believe. I believe Jack Frost will live for another day."

Gripping his sword, he began to run into the burning forest with vigour.

* * *

"Well, well! Aren't you a fast one!" Angus laughed cruelly as Jack rolled over from where he was, his hands clutching tightly at his staff as the burn mark of a fireball scorched the area right beneath his foot. "Alright, a game's a game. You have your headstart."

Jack got up onto his feet shakily, drained of strength and stifled with heat, leaning on his staff heavily.

"Run!" Angus yelled at him, and clumsily, Jack turned on his heel and ran, ran as fast as he could through burning trees that fell left and right, lifeless shells fallen and soulessly looking up at him as he ran for his life. Mustering as much strength as he could, Jack managed to levitate himself off the ground, somewhat relieving the heat around him as cool, but weak wind blew against him as he flew-

And suddenly a fireball flew past his ear, and his eyes widened.

"No flying off!" Angus threated as he approached, flying with a pair of wings made of fire, grinning that devilish grin of his. "Or two will play at that game, and who knows what else I can set on fire?"

Dismayed, Jack immediately dropped to the ground and found cover in a relatively unburnt tree. Angus followed after him, but he rolled away from his hiding spot and threw snow over the flames near him, clearing a path for him away. The flames extinguished as the snow he conjured up immediately turned to water and fell over it, eliciting a gasp of pain from Angus, giving his location away to Jack-but the same could be said for Angus.

"There you are!" he yelled, running after Jack, and the winter spirit continued running, as Angus began to throw fireballs at him. Gritting his teeth, Jack turned around and blocked a few he was too tired to dodge with walls of ice and snowflakes, his creations falling to the ground as water upon contact with Angus's angry red flames.

"Putting up a fight, eh?" Angus laughed from behind Jack. "I knew you were good game!"

Well, I didn't know you weren't a fair one! Jack thought to himself desperately as he ran. I shouldn't have gone in here. But... He looked around him, and frowned. If he had left the area with the Guardians, then the humans would have been face-to-face with both the Fearlings and this monster of a spirit running after him. They wouldn't stand a chance. He couldn't let that happen!

Jack's determination renewed, he pushed on, but his strength was reaching its limit. The flames around him were getting hotter and the air was thickening steadily by the minute-Jack's vision swam, and he began to falter-

"_I believe. I believe. I believe._"

North's voice was suddenly in his head, and his eyes widened. Jack felt his body grow stronger, if just for a bit. He knew he had only one chance, and it was a risky one he had to take. He turned around and directly faced Angus, who looked at him with surprise-he certainly hadn't expected Jack to face him head-on at such a disadvantage.

Oh, how wrong Angus was. Jack had an advantage-North was coming.

Summing up what little energy he had left, Jack made thick, solid ice come up beneath Angus's feet and covered the teen's legs with it, earning him a shriek of pain from the fire spirit as cold, cold ice burned him. Sighing, Jack slumped down, tired-

"I got you," North's voice told him, as a solid, reassuring and familiar body held him up, and at once, he relaxed. He will be safe now-North was here. Wearily, Jack fought to keep his eyes open as North carefully slung him over his shoulder. Then, slowly, North approached Angus, holding onto Jack, who was slung over his shoulder. "We meet again, young spirit," he said, and Jack's eyes widened. North _knows_ Angus?

North knelt down and met Angus's eyes, wild and amber and just how he remembered it. Smiling softly, North murmured something that sounded like an incantation, and blew over his hand, before smoothing it over the boy's fire-hair, completely unharmed and like as if he hand run his hand over normal hair instead of fire.

"Oh, Angus." He sighed, and the teen lowered his gaze, almost looking meek and ashamed. Jack looked on in confusion. What was going on?

Angus wordlessly touched the ice holding his legs and began to melt it with his fire. North lowered his hands to the ice as well, (after he had put down his sword) and muttered something again. The ice quickly melted and instantly evaporated off Angus's legs.

"... Nicholas St. North." Angus finally said, his tone even. "Oh, I should have known."

"You have been in my mind for a long time, my friend." North replied, and Angus looked at him for a long time, before turning around.

"I will burn you some other time, Frosty," Angus spoke up, not looking at either North or Jack. "Next time, I'll make sure I'll get it done."

Wings of fire sprouted from Angus's back, flames flickering and melancholic, and the teen flew away.

North's hand rested on top of Jack's head, and gently, he whispered to the teen. "Sleep. You're safe now."

Jack didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Jack awoke in his bed at North's workshop, covered in snow. There were buckets at the back of the room-eleven of them, all empty and wet. Blinking, Jack sat up, just as Tooth burst into the room.

"Oh, Jack!" She cried, pulling him into a hug, the snow that still clung onto Jack's body wetting her beautiful green feathers. "Oh, you're alright! I'm so glad!"

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but he suddenly remembered that Angus-that _bastard_, Angus-had burned his throat. Cautiously, he pulled away from her and touched his throat-it was fine, all healed up. "... Tooth?" he tried saying, his voice hoarse from disuse.

"Yes, yes!" She nodded quickly, "Oh, you had us all worried. Bunny dumped so much water in the forest when he thought you and North were taking too long! Your throat was so badly burnt! And your feet! Your elbow was dislocated-oh, Jack!" she gushed, hugging him again.

"... H-How long..." Jack paused, his throat dry and parchy. "How long was I out?"

She looked at him, pulling away slightly, a sad look on her face. "... Two weeks."

Jack's eyes widened. "... Two... weeks?"

"Yes," She nodded solemnly, holding his hands in her small ones. "The Man in the Moon told us that your body temperature raised so high you were almost going to..." she trailed off, and he nodded in understanding. She swallowed. "He told us that you can recover on your own-our bodies can repair itself, given ample amounts of rest and power, so all we had to do was give you snow, and ice... and wait."

"For two weeks?" Jack asked, incredulous, and she nodded.

"Two weeks. You were so badly hurt, you took such a long time to heal." She said, "But now, you're okay, so it's going to be alright."

"No, Tooth, it isn't," Jack frowned. "I'm going to get that Angus guy. He almost killed me, I think I should return the favour."

"That isn't a very wise decision," North suddenly spoke up, and the two Guardians looked up to see him standing at the door, a glass of water (filled to the brim with ice) in his hand. "Here, Jack. To help your throat." He handed the glass to Tooth, who gave it to Jack, and quickly, the teen downed it, sweet, sweet coldness running down his throat. He immensely felt better.

"What are you talking about, North? He almost killed me!"

"We have made a similar mistake long ago," North replied calmly, and suddenly Tooth's expression fell. Jack looked at her, confused. "I advise you, Jack, do not go after him with the intention of killing him."

"Then what should I do?" Jack asked exasperatedly. "You know him. You tell me."

Tooth looked surprised, and turned her head to look at North. "You knew him? You didn't tell us that."

North said nothing, and only looked grim. "In time," he replied, before turning away and closing the door.

* * *

Oh, my God. This is the longest one out of all of them yet. Suddenly the wordcount went up so high, hahaha! XD

So, how'd y'all like Angus? Yes? No? Please don't hit me, I still want to finish them all? 8D

Tell me what you think of him! He'll pop up more if y'all like him. C:


	9. Eskimo Kisses - Sweet Dreams

So, I suddenly got hit with Sandy feels and I decided that I really, _really_ like the books. Really like the books. (Cas has them right now, however, but I'll be taking them from him soon enough!)

* * *

_Imagine your OTP nuzzling noses._

Warnings: Younger!Guardians! OH MY GOD HANDSOME!NORTH!, book-savvy is a must, Toothiana being totally not-cutesy like she was now, Sandy being sweety i'm cry, children, Katherine is here too say hi to her, part one of three, omg

Note: Younger!Guardians! This is set in the book, and it's still in the linear line, since I said so! Hahaha! I just love younger!North okay don't judge me

* * *

Sandy looked on quietly as he watched the three of them pull winter clothes on-North, his large, billowing red coat, black fur at the collar, fluttering around wildly in the cold, unforgiving wind; Bunnymund, pulling on a deep violet coat over his green robes, and Toothiana, pulling on a down-feather coat that had holes for her magnificent wings, spread out wide behind her as she pulled the pure-white sleeves over her arms. He himself did not need anything to fight off the cold-he was perfectly alright with the temperature, so he decided to not put a coat on, genty rejecting Katherine's offer to give him her coat.

He looked down at the gray-eyed girl from his place (floating near where the young Cossack was, who was now consulting a map he had in his hands) and smiled slightly. She no longer a little girl, and yet not quite a grown-up, betwixt and between and all the world's wonder and wisdom in her deep eyes. She was to stay behind and help protect the other children, but that did not prevent her from keeping her expression level and serious, like as if she was to embark on the perilous journey into the high Frosty Mountains.

Katherine noticed him looking at her, and she smiled at him. "Sandman? What is the matter?" she asked, and Sandy shook his head.

_Nothing at all, my girl_, he thought, conjuring up images in beautiful golden dreamsand to get his message across.

She looked at him, her eyes cool and calculating, but she eventually nodded. North's hand rested on her head and she looked up, her stern expression melting into one of warm, but tired happiness as her eyes landed on the man's face.

"Don't worry, Katherine. We'll bring Ombric back, safe and sound." He bent down to meet her eyes, smiling reassuringly, and tapped the pendant around her neck. "Just keep believing. In Ombric, in the Guardians," he stroked her hair, "And in magic. We'll be back."

"Please be safe," she replied, nodding, and North stood up, turning to address the other Guardians.

"Let's go," he declared, gathering his weapons, his hand on his sheathed sword (the very one he got from the Man in the Moon) as he strode confidently out of the chamber to head to the sleigh he had designed and built himself. Bunnymund followed after him, serenely walking, but it was clear to Sandy that the Pooka, too, was worried for the wizard's well-being-and for good reason, too! The wizard was captured by none other than Pitch, the very embodiment of nightmares and fear.

Toothiana followed suit, wings fluttering as she hovered, and her face set and in her hands her two swords, but she turned to look over her shoulder at the children. They all looked at her, worry on their faces, and a most beautiful smile spread across the Queen's face.

"We shall return." She assured them, looking up at Sandy, who had begun to follow her out the door. "Won't we?"

Sandy nodded, _we will_. He thought, sending golden hummingbirds, a bear and a few rabbits of his dreamsand at the children, who gazed up at them in wonder, smiles spreading across their faces. Katherine stood at the front of them, and she smiled as well, as the large bear came up to her and rested its golden paw on her shoulder. _Believe, my children, and we will come back to you._ He told them all in their heads, in hushed voices the golden animals whispered into their ears, and they believed. Their faith grew stronger.

Toothiana smiled, and turned to address Sandy. She nodded at him, once, and he nodded back at her.

They must go.

* * *

Of course, nothing goes as planned, as always. Separated from the others, Sandy and Toothiana crouched behind a gap between rocks, snow blasting around all around them as the Queen of the fairies pulled her coat off, and hastily covered it over their heads to hide both her wings and herself, and Sandy, under the pure white down of Snow Goose feathers, camouflaging perfectly amidst the snow around them.

"Are you alright?" she asked, panting slightly, her hands holding up the coat above them like a makeshift tent, as outside the shadows of Fearlings scoured all over the place, looking for them and their other companions. "I am so sorry this had happened, if I wasn't such a fool, and-"

Sandy cut her off with a shake of his head, gently placing his tiny hand on her lips, silencing her. She blinked at him, confused at his actions, but Sandy merely smiled at her. _It is alright. No one was harmed. I am sure North and Bunnymund are alright,_ he had one of his dreamsand creatures whisper in her ear, and she nodded, her face grim. Sandy smiled gently, before leaning forward and rubbing his nose on top of Toothiana's. The Queen's eyes widened and she stared at him, confused.

"What strange tradition is this? I have never heard of it." She replied, lowering one of her hands to touch her nose gingerly, and Sandy let out a quiet giggle, before taking both of her cheeks in his hands and lifting the corners of her lips. Toothiana moved back slightly, surprised, but Sandy leant forward and rubbed their noses again together, as he sent her a wisp of a daydream.

_It is how the peoples of the North in a faraway country kiss each other. They live in a cold, unforgiving environment, and they are often so wrapped up in layers and layers of protection they can hardly comfort each other. Then, they came up with a new way of consolation-nose rubbing. It was the only body part they could touch against each other,_ he explained to her, and he let go of her, leaning back to see a true smile blossom on Toothiana's face.

"Then may I assure you, Sandman," she said, "You have consoled me greatly."

He nodded at her, and conjured up the image of North and Bunnymund with his dreamsand.

"Yes," Toothiana nodded, "I agree. It is time we saved those two flightless fools." she chuckled, before lifting her swords with both her hands, letting the coat fall over her shoulders. Sandy helped her thread her wings through the holes as she pulled the sleeves over her shoulders and arms. "Shall we?"

Sandy smiled at her, and nodded.

She grinned at him, confident and sure, like the majestic Queen she was, and split into a hundred smaller versions of herself.

"Wings off, ladies," the largest Toothiana ordered them, "And take no prisoners. We shall show them what it is like to wrong the Queen of the Fairies."

The little fairy-Toothianas squeaked their agreements, before flying off ahead of them. She turned to face Sandy, a confident grin on her face.

"Let's go save some humans."

_And a Pooka,_ Sandy thought, conjuring up Bunnymund's image, and Toothiana laughed, regal and proud, as her brilliant wings flared behind her.

"Yes, and a Pooka." She nodded. "Let's go."

And so they did.

* * *

It's soooo short! I'm so sorry! But I'll make it up with the next chapter! And the next one after that! (since, uh, today I'm churning out a three-part special commemorating my finishing the books and that the movie's coming out TOMORROW! OMG!)

Please wait for the next one! With the next one, however, the rating _has_ to go up. I'm so very sorry. I tried to stop myself, but... I just couldn't.

_(read: i did not try at all)_


	10. Perks of Being a Wizard - Eggnog

Part two, and really, I'm just having too much Handsome!Young!North feels I can't

AND THEN SUDDENLY HE'S SHIPPABLE WITH EVERYONE HE'S LIKE, THE JACK OF THEIR TEAM PRIOR TO JACK SERIOUSLY

HOW CAN ANYONE SAY NO TO DAT BABE SANTA /SHOT

* * *

_Imagine your OTP kissing passionately after Person A saves Person B from almost certain death._

Passionately, where, uh, it's not really passionate. HAHAHAHA

Warnings: BL BL BL BL BL I SWEAR TO GOD HERE COMES THE SHIPPING, HAPPY RELEASE DATE EVERYONE Younger!Guardians! OH MY GOD HANDSOME!NORTH!, book-savvy is a must, North being his young self i'm cry a river of tears, Bunny being so tsundere even way long ago, I swear to God Jack will appear in the next part, part two of three, omg, **OC ALERT! APPARENTLY YOU GUYS LIKED ANGUS SO HERE HE IS AGAIN BEING ALL DERP AND "OOH MR NORTH OOH"**

* * *

"_Nicholas St. North_!" Bunnymund screamed desperately as he clung onto the young Cossack's fur-lined coat, paws digging into deep black fur as the young man's hands gripped Bunnymund's sides securely and tightly, laughing brightly as he ran away from the horde of Fearlings going right after them; deep black mares with burning yellow eyes and angrily flaring nostrils, their King, Pitch Black, right behind them on his own horse, a malicious grin on his face as he gave pursuit to the two Guardians. "Nicholas! Put me down this instant! I'll just make tunnels to get us out of here! Toothiana and Sandman are in need of our help!"

"Can't," the man replied, sharply making a turn, his boots squeaking loudly as he skidded at the sharp turn, stumbling slightly as he hopped on one foot, before continuing in his running without a moment's hesitation or a footing lost. "The moment your feet touches the ground, you'll end up getting burned!"

"And whoever said that?" Bunnymund yelled at him indignantly, but yelped and hugged the man's neck closer as an arrow of shadows narrowly missed North's side. The man clicked his tongue and dodged into a wide doorway, leading into one of the palace's wide halls laden with beautiful opal-coloured marble tiles and golden linings that stretched to the ceiling. "Oof!" Bunnymund protested as North hit the wall as he turned sharply, slamming his back against it with a loud _thud_, as yet another arrow flew into the room, inches from where North had stood mere seconds ago. "Would you _please_ be a bit more careful?!" Bunnymund yelled at him, "Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

"Didn't hurt too much for you, did it?" North asked, grinning handsomely at the Pooka, and Bunnymund leant backwards in the man's arms, his furry face heating up just slightly. "I mean, my chest cushioned the impact for you, right?"

"_St. North and Bunnymund,_" Pitch's voice called from outside, and the both of them looked at each other, eyes wide. The both of them knew that they were surrounded-the only entrance was barricaded with Fearlings, and sure enough, the air around them turned much colder than it already was, as Pitch himself entered the hall, smirking at the two of them. "What swift feet you have, St. North," he commented, walking around the room on top of a black cloud that hovered above the floor. "I don't know what enchantment you put on the floor, but you have truly proved to be very clever. And _very_ able. You would make a fine Nightmare General." The King of Nightmares smirked down at North and Bunnymund, the Pooka's hair standing on end and his ears going rigid as he glared at the man from where he was in North's arms.

"I assure you, Pitch, as much as I _am_ a brilliant man," North grinned, (and at this Bunnymund rolled his eyes) "But you know, it wasn't _me_ responsible for the fire-floor."

Bunnymund looked at the young man, alarmed. "What do you mean, fire-floor?" He asked, incredulous, and North nodded his head in the direction of the Fearlings standing on the floor-whatever they had on the floor, foot, paw, hoof-was on fire, a rather large flame enveloping the parts that were in contact with the floor. "... What magic is this?" Bunnymund breathed, and Pitch pulled a face.

"Clearly, something of North's doing," he deadpanned, "Notice how _he_ is perfectly unharmed from this."

"I have nothing to do with this," North firmly stated, "But I know who is." He grinned. "Brace yourself, Bunnymund. This is going to be _wild_." He whispered to the Pooka, and Bunnymund's eyes widened.

"What on _Earth_ are you talking about-?!"

"Angus!" North bellowed to the sky with his powerful voice, and much to Bunnymund's shock, the entirety of the room suddenly grew hot, _extremely_ hot, in fact, and the floor beneath them began to glow. Pitch hissed in both anger and pain and immediately ran to the solace of the shadows, as the light grew brighter and brighter. Bunnymund wrenched his eyes shut and folded his ears over them, with addition to his hands, as the heat grew, and grew-

And suddenly the entire palace shook as an explosion ripped the wall apart, bringing in cold, biting winds from outside. Bunnymund opened his eyes to see North was still holding onto him, a grin on his face.

"What do you think about that?" he asked, clearly proud of himself, and Bunnymund could only just roll his eyes.

"You big fool." He replied, and North's eyes widened at him, his expression falling. _Good riddance for thinking I'd be impressed_, Bunnymund thought to himself as he moved to get out of North's arms, (but somewhere in the back of his mind, he was actually rather impressed, but he would never reveal that to the young man,) lowering his foot to the ground-

"Wait!" North yelled, tumbling over in a hurry to keep Bunnymund off the floor, and the two of them ended up on it, North somehow managing to get himself underneath the much-larger Pooka and completely supporting the other with his body. Bunnymund ended up straddling North's waist, his knees digging painfully into the man's palms. Bunnymund tried to regard this awkward situation as nothing more than an unfortunate accident, but he could not stop the heat spreading across his cheeks.

"What is your problem, North?" Bunnymund frowned at him to hide his embarassment, but North shook his head wildly.

"Angus is still here, and the floor will still kill you. I have to talk to him," he said, and Bunnymund frowned at him.

"And how do you suppose you will do that?" he scoffed, "When clearly, whoever this _Angus_ person of yours is, is not here."

"Who says?" a teen's voice asked, and Bunnymund raised his head to see a young man standing barefoot on the marble floor, his hand outstretched at the Pooka, an angry red flame burning around it. Bunnymund gaped at him. He had never seen such a being before, not in his long, long life on Earth. The boy-Angus, Bunnymund realised-approached him slowly, his glare in his amber eyes intensifying threateningly as he stepped ever closer. "Get off North." He demanded, the flames serving as his hair flaring up angrily as his accent (Bunnymund placed it as Scottish) thickened. "_Now,_ Rabbit-Man."

"Angus," North spoke up, "Bunnymund is a friend." He reasoned, and the boy faltered, looking down at North, unsure. "It's alright. Take the enchantment off the floor now. We're safe."

Angus, wary, stepped back, and North nodded. "Bunnymund, you can get off me now." He said, and Bunnymund quickly got off North to see that the floor, indeed, had cooled down, but it was still very much warm. "Thank you for your help, Angus," North smiled up at the teen, getting up and uttering a spell-Bunnymund recognised it, it was a spell of flame protection-and blowing on his hand, before patting the boy's head. "You were very brave to come up here."

"You needed me," Angus replied, "And I am indebted to you, North." He looked at Bunnymund over his shoulder suspiciously, but then looked back at North. "I have to keep you safe."

"And for that I am thankful," North nodded, grasping Angus's shoulder like an older brother to his younger one. "But you have to go, Pitch might figure you out and who knows what lengths he will go to you get his hands on you."

"What about you?" Angus asked, and North smiled at him.

"I have my allies. The Guardians." He gestured at Bunnymund over his shoulder, who turned his head away indignantly, as Angus regarded him with suspicion. "I'll be alright with them."

Angus said nothing, and nodded, after a great length, before wings of fire sprouted from his back and he flew away, out the large gaping hole in the wall. North turned to look at Bunnymund, grinning.

"Well, nice to know that was over," he said, but Bunnymund crossed his arms.

"Yes, but Ombric is nowhere to be found here. Our journey here had been a trap."

North's expression fell. "Well, I guess-watch out!" His eyes widened and he dove forward at Bunnymund, knocking him to the ground as a left-behind Fearling attacked from behind Bunnymund. It charged right over them and out the hole in the wall. The two Guardians sat up and looked at the hole in the wall, panting, their eyes wide, before looking right at each other.

North was the first one to look away.

He bent over and began to laugh. He laughed, loud and hearty, and Bunnymund stared at him, bewildered.

"... What?" He managed to say, but then suddenly North's hands shot up and grabbed his cheeks and pulled him in for a rather brusque kiss, North planting a huge one on Bunnymund's nose.

"That was," He laughed, still holding Bunnymund's face as he pulled away, grinning brightly. "That was both so funny... and... absolutely frightening."

Bunnymund blinked at him, not processing what the young man had said.

North kissed him.

North had kissed him.

(Alright, _granted_, it was his _nose_, but _still_.)

Bunnymund was shaken out of his thoughts at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Bunnymund! North! Are the two of you here?" Toothiana's voice called from outside, and North quickly let go of Bunnymund, leaving him by himself sitting down on the floor, dumbfounded, as he ran to the wall, where Toothiana and Sandy rose from where they came from.

"Toothiana! Sandman!" he grinned brightly. "You're alright!"

"But Ombric is not," Toothiana replied, "Come, we must make haste. Who knows what Pitch has planned for him?"

"Right," North nodded, before turning to address Bunnymund. "Bunnymund? We're going to need those tunnels of yours to get to the sleigh." Bunnymund didn't respond, and so North walked over to him and leaned close to the Pooka's face. "... Bunnymund?"

That shook Bunnymund out of his daze, and he blinked at the close proximity North had with him.

... _Oh._

North poked Bunnymund's forehead before straightening up. "Tunnels, let's go! We have to get to Ombric before terrible things happen!"

"... Right. On my way."

Stumbling slightly, Bunnymund got up and immediately got to work, with still one thing on his mind:

_North had kissed him._

It was difficult to deny that little jump his heart made at the thought.

* * *

OKAY, SO I DID THE SHIPPING. SUE ME. (don't please i want to keep writing don't hurt me this is all just good fun i swear)

SOO. RATING'S GONE UP, I THINK I CAN PULL OFF PRACTICALLY _ANYTHING_ NOW.

NO STOPPING ME, MATE. I GOT THIS SHIT COVERED.

UNTIL PART THREE, EVERYBODY.


	11. Weight on Your Shoulders - Jack Frost

**HAPPY RELEASE DAY, AMERICA! I HOPE Y'ALL ENJOY THE MOVIE!**

'Cause you know, I'll be here, in my little tropical country (that Jack will never visit /ugly sobbing), waiting for another **SEVEN DAYS** for the movie to come out. But hey! More fics to come up! I'm going to do a countdown to the release here (Nov. 28, but I'll be seeing it on the 30th because of my schedule derping), so keep watching out for more fics! C:

* * *

_Imagine your person A of your OTP crying by themself for whatever reason, until person B comes and hugs them and tells them 'its okay'._

Warnings: VERY LIKELY HISTORICAL INACCURACIES BUT DAMNED IF I CARED. I WANT MY H/C FIC, Jackson whumpage, oh no not another Jack-whump fic, Bukkun abuses her loved characters, Angus is derping here again omg, continuation of the linear storyline (uh, continuation of chap. 8, Hot to the Touch), CHAPTERS 9 AND 10 WERE FLASHBACKS YES, angst and jealous teenagers, North being such a good father i'm cry, Jack bby i'm cry, part three of three.

Notes: Part three of three. This is now just complete, baseless conjecture, but fuck you if I care. I DO WHAT I WANT

* * *

In the end, Ombric was brought back to Santoff Klaussen, completely unharmed and totally fine, save for a few scratches on his hands from gripping his splintery staff too tightly. The children rejoiced and ran to welcome him back to their company, as the Guardians stood back, all tired but proued of their accomplishments. They had driven Pitch away from the world again, this time, but like always, they could never be too sure that the man was completely gone.

Despite the nigging worry at the backs of their minds, however, as they all returned to their homes-Toothiana to her palace in the mountain, Bunnymund to his warren, Sandy to somewhere only he and the Man in the Moon knows where, and North to his new home in the North Pole, also named Santoff Klaussen in honor of the village it was based on-peace returned to the world, as night after night, the Man in the Moon reported, all his moonbeams returned with radiant light-signs that Pitch was gone, at least for the time being.

The Guardians soon fell into rhythm with their new roles-protecting the children of the world and giving them hopes and dreams, ensuring a beautiful, pure and happy childhood.

There was one little boy, though, that proved to be a little more than a handful at times to take care of.

* * *

Little Jackson Overland Frost walked alone in the forest, hands clasped together as he wandered around aimlessly with his bare feet, feeling the soft, damp earth beneath them and the ticklish brush of the grass. He was all alone, all by himself that warm Easter morning, as the rest of the village gathered at the square to celebrate the holiday.

Naturally, the poor little boy-a little too scrawny, too tiny, too _weak_ to be friends with the other children-was neglected. No one even spared a second glance at him as he had walked past the town square, where people were beginning to gather to celebrate Easter. His father was at work-never could spare a day, not even Easter, to earn for his family's upkeep, and his mother was heavily pregnant with his younger sibling. Jackson hoped that the baby was a girl-he had always wanted a little sister. Maybe at least she could be his friend.

With both his parents unavailable to be with him that day, Jackson settled for wandering around alone in the thick forest right next to the town of Burgess. Aimlessly he walked, pointedly keeping his mind away from the thoughts of loneliness and yearning to think about other things-how prettily the wild flowers were blooming underneath the trees, the fresh scent of the breeze lightly tousling the trees around him, and his brown hair, the presence of all the other small animals out there in the forest Jackson was sure were watching over him at that very moment.

He felt a little better, taking in a deep breath of fresh forest breeze, as he neared a lake in the middle of the forest. Smiling slightly in wonder-were there fish in the lake, he thought-he approached it gingerly, peering into the clear waters to see tiny little fish swimming about alongside a few tadpoles. His smile widened and he sat down at the shore, looking down at the fish inside.

Unbeknownst to him, behind the tree right behind him, a tall Pooka stood, clutching a pair of chocolate eggs. There was a smile on his face, and he gently lowered them to the ground, tiny stick-like legs sprouting out of them. With a wave of his hand, the Pooka waved at them to approach the boy, and so they did, ambling merrily along their jolly way until they came to a stop at a clump of grass about a metre away from where Jackson was.

The sound of rustling grass caught Jackson's attention and he turned his head to see two brightly-coloured eggs sitting in a clump of grass. His eyes widened.

"Oh, wow," he smiled, standing up as he took the eggs from their place in the clump of grass. "Eggs," he breathed, looking at them, beautifully painted with delicate designs of snowflakes and ice.

Bunnymund smiled to himself as he watched the boy inspect the eggs. He knew Jackson loved the snow and ice, and would often play by himself during the winters, when all the other children would stay inside their homes because it was too cold for them-but it was just perfect for Jackson, so Bunnymund had decided to give the boy an appropriately-designed egg just for him. It was hand-painted by the Pooka himself, and he was quite proud of his handiwork, if one were to ask him about it. Jackson's smile send waves of warmth through the Pooka-energy for the Guardians was the happiness of children, but Jackson's happiness was really something else.

"Thank you, Easter Rabbit," Jackson whispered to the wind, before making a move to unwrap one of the eggs-

When suddenly one of the bigger children of the village (and the one that loved taunting and bullying Jackson) barreled into the clearing, a wide smirk on his face.

"And_ what _do you think you're going to do with that egg?" He demanded, and Jackson moved back from him, alarmed. "You aren't even part of the egg hunt! You're a thief!"

"I-I'm not," Jackson replied, shaking his head, bringing the eggs close to himself protectively, "You already have a basketful of them," Mostly ones that you most likely forced others to give you, he added mentally, "Why would you want mine?"

"_Because_, like I said," the boy snapped at him, striding over to Jackson and wrenching the eggs out of the boy's hands, "You're a thief and I'm taking them away from you because you're not meant to have one of these!"

"H-hey! That's mine-!"

"No, it's _mine_ now!" the boy crowed, pushing Jackson backwards into the lake, throwing him backwards onto the shallow parts of it, spraying water everywhere. Laughing cruelly, the boy walked away, already eating up one of the eggs he had procured from Jackson.

Jackson watched him leave, dismay clear on his face, and Bunnymund, still hidden where he was, growled in anger, his hind legs rearing up as his tail bristled. How _dare_ that boy?! And he had worked so hard on those eggs!

Jackson pulled himself out of the lake, dripping wet, looking every bit like a kicked puppy tossed out in the rain. Something in Bunnymund's heart wrenched as Jackson huddled into a little ball at the water's edge, burying his face into his arms as he began to choke and sob. Biting his lower lip, Bunnymund looked at the boy, and back at his two emergency chocolate eggs, before heaving a sigh. The eggs he had with him weren't as magnificent as the ones he had intended to give the boy, but for now, they will have to do.

Silently, he padded over to Jackson, his steps making absolutely no noise as he approached, and gently, he placed the eggs down next to Jackson's side. He then draped himself over Jackson's cold, shivering body, making the boy stop crying in surprise and begin to lift his head. Gently, Bunnymund pressed his paw over the boy's head.

"Don't look up," he gently told him, and Jackson did as he was told, relaxing back into his previous position-curled up into a ball with his face buried in his arms. "It's alright, you'll be okay," he soothed, smoothening his other paw down Jackson's back, and the boy began to shake again, tears most likely flowing freely from his cheeks. "I'm here, and I want you to know that you're loved, my boy." Gently, he placed a soft kiss on the boy's wet hair, before uttering a spell. Jackson was instantly dry again, and now just warming up in Bunnymund's embrace. "You have Guardians watching over you."

Jackson couldn't understand what this strange man was talking about, but he kept on crying, finally having a warm shoulder to cry on, and he let the man hold him until his sobs subsided, reduced to whimpers and sad little sniffles.

"I have eggs for you, but they aren't as good as the ones you got," Bunnymund said, "They're right next to you. I hope they'll be good enough for you."

"They are much more than that already," Jackson replied, and he flung himself into the stranger's arms, hugging him tightly, feeling warm, fluffy fur around a strong neck above the smooth green robes that had been wrapped around him. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Warmth was spreading over Bunnymund so brilliantly, the Pooka allowed himself a small smile. Jackson's happiness was overwhelmingly beautiful and potent.

"No, my dear boy, thank _you_." He replied, before patting Jackson's back. "I have to go. Close your eyes and don't open them until I'm gone."

Jackson nodded, closing his eyes as he pulled away from the man-barely glimpsing the sight of a pair of rabbit ears as he closed his eyes. Inspiration sparked in his chest-the Easter Rabbit had visited him.

Bunnymund patted Jackson's shoulders reassuringly, before tapping the ground with his foot, making one of his existing tunnels appear beneath him. "Happy Easter, my dear boy." He murmured, before leaving, the tunnel closing as he went through it, just as Jackson opened his eyes to see nothing there in front of him, but a smile spread across his face.

"Happy Easter, Rabbit."

* * *

Toothiana loved all children, but she especially loved the ones who took care of their teeth the best. Every night, she travelled all across the world for their fallen baby teeth, where she keeps in her palace so that they could be returned when they were needed the most.

She was especially fond of a certain little boy's baby teeth-young Jackson Frost's teeth were very well-taken care of, despite his current financial situation in life. Smiling sadly as she approached his window, she thought about the tooth that was underneath the boy's pillow-it was his last baby tooth, and it rather saddened her that it would be the last tooth she would take from him.

Silently, she flew into the boy's window to see him asleep-but her heart stirred with pain as she saw the boy's expression as he slept-tear tracks were fresh on his cheeks, with even more tears coming down them as he turned in fitfully in his bed. She knew the boy wasn't having a nightmare-there were no traces of Pitch's presence in his home-but she knew that this dream was not exactly a good one.

"... Mother..." he mumbled feverishly in his sleep, reaching outwards, and his hand latched onto Toothiana's wrist, alarming her and she forced herself to calm down and stay still, lest she wake up the sleeping boy. "Please... don't... go..."

She looked at him, expression sad, and remembered what had happened just a few days ago-Jack's mother had died of childbirth when she gave birth to his little sister. Jackson was overjoyed to welcome his new sister to his family, but was devastated at the loss of his mother, at his young tender age of 9. It truly wasn't fair for the boy, but Toothiana knew that nature had to run its course, and she completely understood what it was like to lose a parent. She had lost both, after all.

Gently, she hushed him, stroking his tousled hair as she settled down next to him, her weight barely lowering the bed as she hovered slightly to keep herself aloft. Jackson somehow calmed down and one of Toothiana's little fairies dove under his pillow to collect his tooth, leaving behind a shining shilling she was sure the boy would appreciate.

"Oh, Jackson," she sighed, still stroking the boy's hair to calm him down. "It's alright, worry not," she assured, as the boy's tears stopped falling, and his breathing grew steady. "You are dearly treasured, my dear." She said, kissing the boy's cheek so softly, feather-light and barely brushing, "Know that Guardians will never leave you, even when you grow up." Her voice descended to a whisper as Jackson's sleep deepened, his mind now calm. Toothiana reached for the tooth she recieved, and held it close to her chest in her palm to see the memory within.

It was the memory of a warm embrace, and a rather familiar voice...

"Oh, Bunnymund," She smiled, before putting the tooth in her ruby box. She looked back at Jackson, smiling as she kissed his head again, before flying away into the night.

Jackson sleepily awoke, blinking as he wiped his hands over his cheeks. "... What a beautiful dream," he uttered, but then his eyes widened. "My tooth," he gasped, lifting the pillow to see a shining shilling, and a smile crossed his face. "... The Tooth Fairy was here."

* * *

Sandy knew the dreams and wishes of all the children in the world, as night after night he gave them beautiful, happy dreams to keep the nightmares away, but in the midst of all those wishes of adventure, and magic, and all the wild, happy things only children could think of, there was one single dream that had intrigued him.

It was a dream of Jackson Overland Frost's, on the night he had lost his last baby tooth.

He had been dreaming of his mother's death, begging for her to not leave him. It was the makings of a nightmare, and Sandy had been ready to intervene, but Toothiana was there, and her presence calmed the boy down, leaving him a beautiful dream of love and hope, as his memories from his encounter with Bunnymund mixed with his other memories, making a whole new beautiful dream, where his family was complete, and the Guardians, strong and loving, were there by his side, giving him the joy and happiness he didn't have in the waking world.

Sandy had been moved by the incident-he could not have made up a dream for Jackson better than what had happened that night.

Smiling as he flew over to the boy's window one evening, he saw that Jackson was still awake, lying by himself in his bed, looking straight through Sandy and at the moon, a pensive look on his face. Sandy knew that now more than ever, his father had to work harder to keep both himself and his children alive, and to move on from the harrowing hurt they all went through when Jackson's mother died. This meant that the boy was now both blessed with a friend-his baby sister-and was lonlier than ever, now without a loving mother to be there for him when he needed her the most.

Sandy brought in a wisp of dreamsand through the window, shaped as a rabbit (for he knew that Jackson loved the winter, especially the snow rabbits) and it bounced to the unknowing boy through the air, before entering his mind, sending him off to a deep sleep.

A smile crossed Jackson's face as Sandy showed him a good, happy dream-his parents, alive and well, his little sister, happily gurgling on his lap, and all the Guardians with him, watching over him as he grew up, giving him happiness and love.

A tear rolled down Jackson's cheek, and Sandy's eyes widened to see that it was a Dream Tear, a precious and beautiful Dream Tear, much like the one Nightlight had taken off Katherine, as she dreamt about Pitch and his lost daughter. Sandy flew into the room and took the Dream Tear from the boy and tucked it into the folds of his clothes, before smiling down at the sleeping child.

_You are loved, my boy_. _The Guardians will bring you dreams of happiness for many years to come,_ he told the boy in soft whispers in his dream, _You will have a most beautiful childhood. Your dreams will make sure of that._

Jackson mumbled something affirmatory, and Sandy chuckled silently, fondly shaking his head before flying out the window to spread good dreams to the other children around the world.

* * *

The four Guardians were gathered together by the fireplace, all of them pensive. The second week of Jack's comatose condition had just started, and they were all anxious when the boy will wake up. The Man in the Moon had assured them that he will wake up, and everything was merely a matter of time. They had to be patient.

Mulling over the current situation, they all looked back on their memories with Jack as he was a boy, Bunnymund reminiscing all those Easters the boy had as he absentmindedly painted an egg the same design as the one he had tried giving Jack so many years ago, but was stolen.

Tooth was thinking about Jack's last baby tooth. She silently wished that somehow, that memory inside that tooth would help him recover. She had just given him the memory mere hours ago, but she had no idea how much progress it would make.

Sandy was thinking about the boy's dreams. While now, they were all happy, good ones (courtesy of Sandy, of course,) he couldn't help but think back on that one dream so many years ago-that one dream that was so beautiful, and powerful. Would Jack need something like that to return to his old self quicker?

North was thinking of other things. Angus's actions, while not unheard of, alarmed North. He could understand that Angus had the capacity to attack other spirits (Bunnymund being a witness to that in the palace at the FrostyMountains) but he couldn't fathom Angus's reason why. It wasn't like North was in any danger. Was it something Jack had done to aggravate him?

Frustrated, North abruptly stood up, catching the attention of the other Guardians. Bunnymund spoke up first.

"Don't worry, mate." he said, "We'll get him."

"That's not what I'm worried about," North replied, before walking away, leaving in his wake three confused Guardians.

* * *

"So, what's the big deal with Angus, North?" Jack demanded, floating into the man's office, sending a cold wind inside. His feet were still a little sore and stung when he walked, so Jack had to fly around more often than he usually did. "Why do you know him?"

"I saved his life, Jack," North replied, as Jack sat down on his desk. "He needs me as much as I need him. He has the strength to defeat Pitch."

"Then why didn't you send for him in the first place?" Jack snarled, clearly getting angry. "Instead of wasting your time on me?"

North's eyebrows shot up and he looked at the younger Guardian, contempt clear on his face and his voice. "Now, listen here, Jack-"

"Yeah, I don't think so!" Jack retorted, "Why didn't you just go for Angus instead of me? Seems he was much loyal to you than I was, and _clearly_ you have some history with him that I, unfortunately, do not have with you!" Angrily he slammed the end of his staff onto the ground, "Heck, he could even kill me instantly, if he wanted to! I was weak where he was strong. Virtually no weakness against the darkness-against Pitch! He's so perfect for this Guardian business, so why not him?"

"Jack..."

"Why not him, huh? Tell me! Why do you have to get my hopes up after all these years just so that now, I'm left to see that bitter crushing disappointment after seeing someone better than I was, or will ever be at this deafeating Pitch business?"

North didn't say a word, too surprised at what Jack had said. The teen's angry expression faltered slightly and he gripped his staff, his pale knuckles going whiter than North thought possible. "All those years ago, the Guardians told me they would be watching over me, that I wasn't ever alone, that I would be happy for the rest of my days, but that never became true!"

Angry tears stung at the corner of Jack's ice and as they rolled down his face, he angrily froze them into perfect little ice droplets that fell off his face and onto the floor, shattering like delicate glass, shards flying into thousands of pieces at his feet.

"For three hundred years, North. Three hundred years, I lived alone, all alone, with no one seeing me, or believing in me, or even so much as _thinking_ about me, not even you four." He let the words tumble from his mouth clumsily; he had broken through a dam and now all his emotions from so long ago spilled out uncontrollably like gallons and gallons of water rushing through a crack that began to grow bigger and bigger.

"I tried to have fun, to be happy, I really did," he said, and the tears spilled freely now, no longer turning to ice as they rolled down Jack's cheeks, "But as much as I loved snow days, and pranking people, all the other stuff I did, it wasn't enough. I needed someone there with me. Just be there, for me."

"Jack," North sighed, reaching out to the boy, who regared his hand from a moment, wary before taking one step closer. But only a step. "Jack, come closer."

Still sniffling, Jack did as he was told, stepping forward and taking North's hand. The man squeezed it reassuringly, and pulled Jack closer to himself, doing as he did before a few weeks ago, pulling the younger Guardian into his lap.

"Jack, we _are_ always there for you. But those three hundred years, they were a mistake we made that I regret to this day." He said, "We had decided to leave you alone for a while, you were volatile, still new to your abilities and still so very young, so we gave you time to adjust, to learn;" he sighed, "But now I know that that was a foolish decision, and that now we have to make up for all those years we have done you wrong."

"What about Angus?" Jack asked. "Why are you so..." he gestured uselessly with his hands, "I don't know, so intimate with him?"

"He was a good friend, such a good boy." North smiled sadly, "He was a lot like you. Young, out of control, still unsure of his capabilities, and alone. So very alone." Jack looked at him, and North stroked his hair soothingly. "But, unlike you, he yearns for solitude. Something had happened to him long ago that has left him so deeply scarred he forever rues the day he came into being."

"What happened?" Jack asked, but North shook his head.

"Only Angus knows what happened." North replied, "And as much as he is loyal, and strong, and powerful, Angus is still very dangerous. I stil hesitate to call on him for help, let alone calling him a Guardian." He smiled down at Jack, "And as I said before, you have something very special inside of you, Jack," he poked the boy's chest. "Only you have it."

A sad smile spread across Jack's face, and North smiled back at him, reassuring, and wide.

"So, like the others, I'll make a promise to you too." He smiled, "You are loved, Jack. And I will always bring wonder to you, as you bring so much wonder to me." Gently North wiped away Jack's tear tracks with his thumbs, before planting a soft kiss on the boy's forehead. "I will be the father to you as the son you've become for me."

Jack's eyes widened and he stared at North, who smiled back at him, warming up with happiness he felt emanating off Jack.

"You mean it?"

"Not even the Man in the Moon can make me change my mind." He replied, and a smile spread across Jack's face. The boy leant forward and pulled North into a hug, and the man, chuckling, wrapped his large arms around Jack's small body.

"Thanks... dad." he said, and North smiled.

"I know. You told me that before."

Jack chuckled, and snuggled closer to the man.

"I still don't like Angus, though."

"I understand."

"And I'll still freeze him to death when I see him."

"You wouldn't."

"Okay, fine. I'll just give him a little frostbite?"

North pulled away from Jack, eyebrow raised and a grin on his face, and Jack grinned right back at him.

"Oh, okay. Fine. I won't hurt him." Jack laughed, "But I still don't like him."

"I know, son," North chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair. "I know."

* * *

So, the ultimate ship bias in this Jack-centric chapter is apparently platonic!North/Jack, followed closely by Bunny/Jack and Foe-Yay!Angus/Jack. Well done, Bukkun. =-=

Well. Enough of that, I'll move on now. With the movie out, I'll safely ship now, so expect legit shipping in other fics (that may or may not be just shoved into this one to save space). No more of that platonic bullshit, I'm pulling out all the stops.

BECAUSE THE FOE-YAY BETWEEN JACK AND PITCH IS TOO GREAT FOR ME TO RESIST SORRY NOT SORRY

The other fics will follow suit. Until then, stay safe, everyone! C:


	12. Dear Santa - Sweet Tooth

Okay, so. Rush posting today. Sorry, can't stay too long and comment all silly-like.

* * *

_Imagine person A discovering a crumpled up paper written by person B. The paper is a written confession about person B's feelings._

Warnings: Tooth being so freaking adorable i'm cry, North being super sweet i'm cry, baby!Aster i'm cry, innocent children, crying children, bby!Jack making an appearance, domestic!Guardians, HUMAN AU, shipping feels, I AM NOT SORRY FOR ANYTHING BUNNYMUND PLEASE KNOW I LOVE YOU

Notes: Human!AU. Tooth and North are happily married and they have a kid: Sandy, who, in this fic, isn't even born yet. HAHAHA. Tooth's pregnant with her and North's first child Sanderson, but that doesn't stop wee little Aster, a little boy in the kindergarten class she teaches from expressing what he feels for her. He does find out about the baby eventually, though, and the results, well, are a little... _drastic_.

Basically, this is Bukkun attempting to write like a child. Kaytil, that other AU I owe you, uh... I'LL GET TO THAT I SWEAR PLEASE BE PATIENT I JUST REALLY LIKE THIS IDEA I'M SO SORRY /ugly sobbing

ALSO, CAS IS COMING OVER TOMORROW. HE MIGHT DO SOMETHING SO PLEASE WAIT OUT FOR SOMETHING.

* * *

"Alright, class, today we're going to write letters!" Tooth smiled brightly as she walked (although, with the rather large bulge she had on her stomach made it more like _waddling_ but she'd die first before she would admit that) slowly to her desk to pick up piles of brightly-coloured paper. "Did everyone bring their crayons today?" she asked, picking them up and turning to the class of little children, who all chorused enthusiastically their response: "Yes, Miss Tooth!"

She smiled at all of them, and got to work (and _boy_, it was tedious, indeed) handing out the papers to the children.

A little boy with dark grey hair stood up, grinning brightly, showing her the gap between his two front teeth scrambled over to her side. "Miss Tooth, Miss Tooth," he called her, and she smiled, turning her attention to the boy.

"Yes, Aster? What is it?" she asked, stroking the little four-year-old's hair, and the boy giggled behind his hands, his cheeks flushing an adorable shade of pink as his green eyes shone with pride.

"I lost a tooth yesterday," he smiled widely, pointing at the hole in his teeth. "See, Miss Tooth?"

"That's good," she nodded, "Did you put it under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy to get?"

"Sure did!" Aster nodded enthusiastically, "And she left me a dollar! It was so cool!"

Tooth's smile widened and she patted Aster's head. "You have been a very good boy lately, Aster," she said, "Of course she'd leave you something nice. I'm sure if you keep being a good boy, Santa will get you something very nice!"

"Really?" Aster asked, stars in his eyes, and Tooth nodded. "I'll keep being a good boy, then!"

"That's good," Tooth nodded, getting up (and wincing as her back protested,) to move on to the other tables. "You might even be able to get something you really, _really_ want."

"What I really, really want...?" Aster blinked up at her, and she looked back down at him, confused, but Aster immediately smiled and he took the pile of papers from her. "I'll hand these out, then, Miss Tooth! You can count on me to give them out!"

"Oh, my," Tooth smiled fondly, as Aster ushered her over to her chair, as his other classmates began to giggle at the boy's antics. "Thank you very much, Aster," she nodded, "You're such a good boy."

Aster smiled at her shyly, before darting away to his classmates, hastily handing out the papers out to them until each one of them were with their own coloured paper and ready with their crayons. Tooth smiled at Aster as he sat down, grinning brightly at her, and she stood up to write on the blackboard.

"Today, we'll be writing letters to Santa," she said, "Christmas is almost here, so let's get some practice with our writing, alright?" she asked the class, "I want you to write to Santa and tell him your name," she wrote down the word in big, neat cursive, "How old you are, and a bit about yourself, and then tell him what you would want for Christmas." She winked at them as she wrote the words in her neat handwriting on the board, "I'll have them sent to Santa," she promised, mentally thinking about her husband in a red suit and hat and quietly giggling, she'd probably have to force a fake beard on him, (since his was black and wasn't even long enough) and maybe she'll have him come to class, laughing that signature 'ho-ho-ho' Santa was known for. "And if you've been good, I'm sure Santa can get you what it is you want."

All the children murmured amongst themselves excitedly, before getting to work, but little Aster lagged behind, quietly watching Tooth take a seat again, big green eyes wide and staring as he watched her relax into her seat, sighing. She noticed him looking at her, and she smiled at him.

"Go on, Aster. Ask away." She smiled, and blushing furiously, Aster lowered his head and began to pointedly keep his eyes away from his teacher.

* * *

"Hey, Aster!" One of the little children asked, "What'd you ask for?"

"M-me? O-oh, well, I just-"

"You can't ask Santa to marry someone, Aster," A little girl said, looking over his shoulder. "Santa can only give presents out, not people." Aster pouted at her and covered his letter (written rather messily with yellows and greens and blues on top of a lavander-coloured paper) with his arms.

"It's what I want," he replied, and the girl crossed her arms.

"Well, my daddy told me Santa can't give people away, because that's not allowed!" she reasoned, "So I asked for a pony instead," she tapped her chin in thought, "But... that new Barbie doll wouldn't be too bad, too..."

"I asked for an aeroplane!" the boy that had caught Aster's attention giggled, "A really cool one, like the one dad pilots!"

Aster frowned slightly, and he looked down at his letter. The girl had told him that giving people for Christmas wasn't allowed... So, he wasn't allowed what he really wanted? How sad.

The boy sniffled slightly, and reached for another paper (there were spares and he left them at his side) and began again, crumpling up his first paper and tossing it aside.

* * *

Tooth waved goodbye to yet another pair of parents as they walked away, bringing their child along with them, enthusiastically waving goodbye at her. ("Bye, Miss Tooth! I hope Santa gets our letters!" she was calling, and her parents were looking at Tooth apologetically for their daughter's actions, but she smiled at them and mouthed that it was alright.)

Sighing slightly and holding her very pregnant belly, she made her way to her desk, where all the other letters were sitting, Aster's on top. It was rather strange for the boy to have asked for such a strange present, Tooth thought as she took her seat, picking up the boy's letter:

_Dear Santa,_

_My naem is Aster and I'm 4 yirs old. I haev a pet rabit Bunnymund and my mommy and daddy aren't around alot, but it's okey. I have Miss Tooth right next door so I don't get sad._

_For Chrismass, I just want to ask for somthing to make Miss Tooth's hurt in her back go away, because she looks like she is very hurt and I don't like that. Or maybi I can have the throwy thing that looks like a bananna. Those are cool._

_Jesica said you don't give awai pipol for Chrismass, so this is good for me. I hope you knoew I've been a good boy._

_Aster_

A strange request, especially for a boy like Aster. Pulling a green Post-It note from its place at the corner of her desk, she scribbled on it: "Aster - Boomerangs" before sticking it on the boy's letter. She re-read the letter, still confused at why the boy mentioned giving people away when a little girl came up to her desk, holding a crumpled piece of paper in her hand.

"Miss Tooth?" she asked, "I found this." She said, putting it on Tooth's table.

"Oh, thank you, Jessica," Tooth smiled at her, and the girl nodded, before running back to her friends, who were waiting for her to continue playing with them. Curious as to what the paper had in it, Tooth made a move to unfurl it-when suddenly a pair of warm hands covered her eyes, surprising her. There was a soft kiss on her cheek and a smile crossed her face as she figured out who it was.

"Guess who?" Her husband's thick Russian-accented voice asked, chuckling, and she giggled, pulling away from his hands to turn her head and look up at him.

"Hello, North," she smiled, leaning up to give him a kiss on his cheek. "You got off work early today."

"Correction: I snuck out of work early today." North laughed, and she laughed along with him. "Black was being an extra jerk today I just decided to quit for the day and snuck off an hour early. I came to pick you up."

"That's so like you," Tooth chuckled, "But there are still some children here, their parents aren't here yet," she said as North pulled up a chair next to her, looking down at the papers she had at the table. "We're going to have to wait it out."

"Beats spending time with Pitch Black," North chuckled, picking up the papers and reading some. "Dear Santa? You're going to give away presents?"

"Correction: _you_ are." She smirked at her husband, who gave her an incredulous look. She laughed out loud, bright and happy, and North grinned fondly, shaking his head.

"Wherever did you get _that_ idea, I wonder?" North chuckled, before turning his attention back to the letters. Tooth, still giggling, reached for the crumpled paper and unfurled it. Her eyes widened as she read it, catching North's attention. "... Tooth? What's wrong?"

A smile spread across Tooth's face, and chuckling fondly, she showed her husband the paper she was holding.

_Dear Santa,_

_My naem is Aster and I'm 4 yirs old. I haev a pet rabit Bunnymund and my mommy and daddy aren't around alot, but it's okey. I have Miss Tooth right next door so I don't get sad._

_For Chrismass, I want to mary Miss Tooth. She's the nicest girl I know and I lov her, and mommy said when you lov somone you should mary her, so I want to. Also, I wish that watermelon in Miss Tooth's tummy would stop giving her hurts. I don't like seeing her feel hurts._

_I've ben a good boy this year, Santa. I hop I can mary Miss Tooth._

_Aster_

"Isn't that the cutest?" Tooth giggled, as North raised an eyebrow.

"Little Aster? The little boy next door?"

"Yes, him," She batted her husband's shoulder, "And why are _you_ getting so pissy? He's still a child, he's not entirely sure what marriage is about." She smiled, looking down at the letter. "Oh, this is just so cute. I'm getting tingles all over."

"Miss Tooth, Mommy's here now," Aster spoke up, standing at her desk, and Tooth looked at him, immediately tucking the letter she had in her hands into the middle of the pile of letters the other children made to hide it from Aster. "Bye-bye."

"Bye, sweety," she smiled, leaning forward and giving the boy a chaste kiss on his forehead. Aster blushed cutely, just as his mother came over to her desk.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for being late, Mrs. North," she apologised, "The court proceedings went on much longer than I expected-"

"It's alright," Tooth assured her, standing up to shake her hand (North assisting her stand up, earning him a stare from the little boy in front of them). "Aster's been a good boy, as always. Such a lovely child to have around."

"Oh, thank goodness," Aster's mother chuckled, before looking down at Tooth's baby bump. "Oh, my dear, how is the baby? How many months in now?"

"Eight," Tooth smiled, leaning back into North's chest, who smiled at Aster's mother, gently gripping Tooth's shoulders lovingly. "It's a boy, you know."

"Oh, have you thought of a name?"

"We were thinking... Sanderson," North spoke up, glancing at Aster, whose forehead was beginning to crease. "Um, Tooth?"

Tooth blinked, and she looked down to see Aster's troubled expression. She knelt down ("I'm alright, North, really, I'm just _bending down_, for goodness's sake") and looked at the boy in the eye. "Aster? What's the matter?"

"That's a baby?" Aster asked, placing his tiny palm on Tooth's stomach, and she smiled, nodding.

"Yes, sweety, it is. You'll have a new friend soon, isn't that exciting?"

"Y-yeah, but... I thought only mommies and daddies have babies."

"Well, I'm going to be a mommy soon," Tooth explained, gesturing at North. "He's the daddy. We're married."

"... Married?"

"Yes, very happily married."

North bit his lip, anticipating a very negative reaction-he wasn't disappointed.

Firstly, Aster's lip wobbled, and right there Tooth realised she had probably said something she shouldn't have. "O-oh, sweety, I-"

The little boy burst into tears, catching the attention of all the other few children that were still there and a few parents that had just arrived. Panicked, Aster's mother picked her son up and began attempting to soothe him, but the boy kept crying.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I don't know why he's like this," his mother said, "We have to go."

Tooth nodded, biting her lip, and the little boy, still crying, was carried out by his mother. Tooth looked up at North, who looked down at her. She was totally lost for words, she had made a little child cry-how could she have done that?

North patted her shoulder.

"So, boomerangs, was it?" he asked, "I'll make sure to get the extra big ones." He spared a glance at the Bunnymunds' car driving away. "... And I'll even dress up too, just for the occasion."

* * *

_Ten Years Later_

Aster slapped his palm over his forehead as he saw the letter he had written when he was a child.

"Bloody hell, where did you get that and _why_ do you still have that, Miss Tooth?"

Tooth looked away from the photo album to look at him, and giggled. "I've always had this. That's how I found out about your little crush."

Aster made a face, and Tooth giggled, patting the teen's back, "Oh, it's perfectly fine. You were a child back then. Totally understandable."

"Totally embarassing, more like it," Aster grumbled, as little Jack darted into the room and dove into the sofa, right next to were Aster was sitting, headbutting him rather fiercely in the side. The teen let out a yell of pain as the little boy giggled brightly, squirming around in the sofa. "Why you little-get back here!" Aster growled, reaching for the boy and grabbing him by the waist (earning him squeals from Jack and yells of, "Lemme go, Aster! You stink!", his mother chided him on that, but he continued squealing and squirming anyway). Aster pulled the little boy closer and began to furiously tickle him, earning him bright peals of laughter from the little boy.

"You were his age when you gave me this letter," Tooth spoke up, wistfully smiling, and the two boys stopped in their horseplay to listen to her.

"What letter, mommy?" Jack asked, clambering on top of Aster's lap to see what Tooth was talking about. Giggling, Tooth showed her son the letter Aster had given her ten years ago. The boy read it to the best of his capability, before laughing brightly and pointing at Aster. "You liked my mommy! Eew!"

"I was a _kid_ then, you little-" Aster stopped himself, looking at Tooth, who raised an eyebrow at him. He swallowed and instead settled for grabbing the boy by his waist. "That's it. You're coming with me."

Jack squealed and kicked around as effortlessly, Aster picked him up and began to carry him up the stairs where the both of them could bother Sandy. Sighing wistfully, Tooth looked down at the letter and ran her finger down it, waves of nostalgia tickling her mind.

"All grown up." she sighed, "Such a wonderful thing."

* * *

THEY'RE ALL PRECIOUS BABIES UGH SKDJF;AWDFHASL;JDFNSADF

AU canon, again: Aster comes over to babysit, right? Well, while Aster and Sandy are really good friends, Jack doesn't like his babysitter very much (or so he says, but damned if _anyone _believes that /smacked) and constantly does stuff to piss him off. See? 8D

Now, for Water Below Zero, I'm planning to write a fic for every possible pairing, _and_ a character-centric fic for each. So, 15 possible pairings + 6 character-centric fics. There should be at least 21 chapters in this fic. (22, actually, since Angus's is here and derping yeah)

I'll keep the status at complete, though, since all the fics are really stand-alones (except, of course, for the 3-part special).

Wait for more, okay? 8D GOTTA GO.

/runs


	13. Last of the Pookas - Rotten Eggs (Cas)

Hello, FF. Cas here. Bukkun's away doing her Chemistry homework so I decided to hog the laptop tonight and write up something I wanted to do. (She, however insisted to put this as part of her story here, to cut her some slack, that lazy bitch.) So. I was told to post here. She wrote the note before running off, too.

Notes: Not an Imagine Your OTP prompt, this is actually something Cas made. So, without further ado, I'll let him take over tonight. (I'll be doing my homework, boo hoo, so he can hog the laptop tonight /sob)

Warnings: I'm not done with the second book yet, so please don't bash me if I make mistakes. What I've got is conjecture and whatever crap Bukkun has already told me about the book (she doesn't really go by River Song's catchphrase, "Spoilers," but she winks often, which is kind of amusing but most of the time it's annoying since she does that when she does stupid things to me), but I've somehow got the basic gist of it. This is also my first fanfiction in a very long time. (Try in ten years' time.) Triggers for genocide for Pookas. Bunnymund gets whumped around a lot with us, doesn't he?

* * *

The warren was blanketed with darkness as night settled in, flowing rivers slowing to a quiet trickling as grass rustled in the blowing wind. All was quiet, nothing moved a muscle, not even the stone guardians, alert and ready for anything moved-the entire warren was as still as the sleeping dead. The little egg warriors set down their golden armour, their fine egg-tipped weapons, and their weary bodies within the safe, soft beds of grass around them, much like their creator, currently residing in his den alone.

A lone Pooka lay in his bed of grass, looking up at the night sky above him, one of his paws tucked behind his head as he took a deep breath, taking the cool night wind. It was getting colder. Summer was whispering its goodbye and letting Autumn prepare the Earth for the arrival of Winter, brought about by bright, young Jack Frost and his fun-loving ways and energetic youth. He sighed, tracing constellations in the sky-the Ursa Minor, Ursa Major, Virgo, and other constellations visible to him, tracing them absently with his eyes. With the approach of Winter, however, meant that Spring was to come. He would have to prepare for when the season comes, springing the smallest plants and their flowers from their slumber, and bringing the deciduous woody trees to life, making green, green leaves sprout from once-lifeless branches. And then with the entrance of glorious, beautiful Spring came Easter, _his_ holiday.

The wind blew against his fur, and he smiled slightly. But he would have to wait; patience was a virtue, and frankly, he had plenty of time to prepare.

E. Aster Bunnymund closed his eyes, breathing in deeply as he relaxed backwards in his bed of soft grass, his body growing lax as he allowed his mind to descend in the welcoming darkness of sleep. His head fell back onto the soft plush grass and his ears flopped down, barely grazing the earth as he fell into deep slumber.

In the shadows, something stirred and a smile so evil spread in the darkness, as evil, dead cold dreamsand slipped towards the Pooka's head, black sand swirling like turbulent storm seas as they shaped into a jet black hare, kicking wildly as its master approached it, moving around the sleeping Pooka's head as his forehead began to crease, and his teeth grit against each other.

"Sweet nightmares, my old friend," Pitch Black's dark, pleased voice whispered to Bunnymund as he began to thrash around in fitful sleep. "I do hope you love what I had prepared for you."

* * *

His dream had barely even begun, and Bunnymund's dread was already growing steadily worse as the scenes around him warped horribly into the most painful things he had ever seen.

When it had begun, he was dreaming he was standing in one of the citadels of his old, old civilisation, dressed in his green robes he had donned so long ago, his old staff in his hand as he wandered aimlessly about, reminiscing all the times he had spent in the city in his youth-back when he was a student and learning, back when there was nothing to worry about, back when the Earth was still young and new as he was. He was with his old friends, colleagues, classmates, teachers and family members, and he was happy, bittersweetly so, but Bunnymund had learnt to accept the bittersweet memory of his old family-all those Pookas he had known so well long ago were now but a memory, but they lived on in him, and that gave him small consolation to know that at least they will never be forgotten, for as long as he would live, he would never forget them.

He had been in a friendly debate with one of his classmates-how he had missed debates and intelligent discussions; for while Ombric and his young apprentice Nicholas St. North were more than pleasant conversation partners (and word-sparring partners, too, especially young North, back then, he was such a robust young man, brash and daring and all but quiet,) he had missed the intelligent inside-talk with his fellow Pookas-when suddenly the skies above them turned dark, pitch black, in fact, and Bunnymund began to smell sulphur in the air.

His eyes widened and in a blink, the beautiful, elegant stone citadel, once proud, strong and wise, laid in ruin, as all around him homes of hundreds and hundreds of Pookas burned to the ground, screaming and turmoil filling the air more than the thin oxygen Bunnymund was suddenly inhaling. Coughing, panicked and alarmed, he ran, getting on all fours and scrambling to the roof of the citadel-or at least, what was left of it.

He pulled himself onto the broken stones of the roof, and looked down at his entire civilisation burning, the roar of the hot air around him drowned out by the screams and the wails of grief and death filled the air as hundreds and hundreds of his kindred died from the severe heat of the flames, and the overwhelming darkness that had begun to swallow the city whole from the outside.

His heart began to race as his mind did, wild thoughts of panic filling his mind as dismay began to bleed through his heart like a stake had been driven through it. It was just like back then, so real it felt like he was right where he used to be when the city burned to the ground-safe and unable to help a single soul that had been there. Tears began to streak down his face as fear and guilt clenched and squeezed at his heart-why, _why, __**why**_-

"Poor little Pooka," a familiar voice spoke up behind him, and Bunnymund whirled around to see Pitch standing behind him calmly, smirking triumphantly. The Pooka, rage flaring inside him at the sight of the man, reared up on his hinds legs and bristled.

"_You_," he hissed, angrily wiping the tears away from his eyes and damping his fur further. "What do you want?"

Pitch ignored his question and walked around him, stalking in a long circle to stand at the ledge of the citadel's roof, looking down at the burning city below. "Oh, how gaze upon how much I had destroyed your city," he said instead, not even looking at Bunnymund. "To me, this was such a fond memory," he looked at Bunnymund over his shoulder, smirking that irritating smirk that drove Bunnymund's mind into overdrive with such _fury_, "How _ever_ could you regard this as a nightmare? Isn't this sight such a beautiful one?" he spread his arms and looked back at the burning city, as the despair and torment of the few remaining Pookas continued, "Watching such a great, wise, most _powerful_ civilisation _burning_ to the ground," he took a deep breath, intaking that delicious memory of the overwhelmingly potent fear that had emerged from the destruction of such a glorious place, "Tell me, E. Aster Bunnymund," he grinned wildly, turning around to address the Pooka, his hands balled into fists as their gazes locked with each other's; cold, _evil_ yellow clashing with firery, _livid_ green. "To see this," with a flourish, Pitch waved at he burning city below them, "To see such _beautiful_ terror and destruction-fire tearing apart one of the greatest beings ever to set foot on this Earth," he laughed, manic and insane, "You must have felt like a _god_."

Bunnymund glared at him, not saying a word, and Pitch laughed.

"Oh, even such a wondrous feeling you are not willing to impart onto me? How cruel of you, old friend."

"You are a friend to _no one_," Bunnymund hissed, his ears stiffening up as he raised the staff he had in his hand. "You... you _monster_,"

Pitch looked at him, his impishly gleeful expression falling as he straightened up.

"This is just a dream, I know, and I _know_ that what had happened all those years ago, they were things I could not help." Bunnymund firmly declared, "I have learnt to recover. I don't blame myself anymore for this, and now I am just left with deep, deep regret for the loss of my brethren." He slammed the staff onto the ground, and the roof began to crumble beneath them. "So whatever it is you are planning to gain from me by being here, I assure you that you _will get nothing_ from me, do you understand?" he threatenigly rose up to full height, towering high over Pitch as he glared down at the Nightmare King. "I am **_not_** afraid of you."

Pitch stared right back at him, but after a full moment of silence, he nodded and yielded, pulling backwards.

"Then so be it," he said, and Bunnymund awoke with a start.

Sitting up in his bed of grass, he touched the wet fur underneath his eyes. He had been crying, like in his dream. Sighing, Bunnymund shook his head and tried to sort out his thoughts, but Pitch's voice still echoed in his mind.

_Tell me, E. Aster Bunnymund, to see this, to see such beautiful terror and destruction,_

He gripped his temples, groaning, trying to push Pitch's voice out of his head, the man's laughter echoing hollowly all across his mind.

_Fire tearing apart one of the greatest beings ever to set foot on this Earth, you must have felt like a __**god.**_

"No," he whimpered weakly, scooting backwards to lean on the wall, "No... no, no, no-"

"Bunny? You alright?" Jack's voice asked, and Bunnymund turned his head to see Jack leaning against the doorway, holding what seemed like a canteen of water.

"Frostbite," he spoke up, making a move to get up, but Jack shook his head and approached him instead, handing him the canteen of water for the Pooka to drink. Warily, Bunnymund took it from the boy, who gently ushered him to drink it.

"I'm not going to prank you tonight," he said, "I just... I want to see if you're okay." Sheepishly he looked off to the side, scratching the back of his head, clearly very embarrassed. "You... you looked like you were under torture. I had to check you out, to see if you were okay or something." He reasoned, and Bunnymund stared at him, surprised.

"You came to check up on me?" he asked, and Jack turned his head away, blushing rather visibly, even in the dim light of the moon that shone into the warren.

"L-like I said, you sounded like you were getting killed or something," he dismissively waved his hand, "I had to see if it was Pitch or something."

While it _was_ Pitch's doing, Bunnymund couldn't help but smile, before shaking his head, chuckling fondly. "I'm alright, mate, go on and spread winter elsewhere. This area's Autumn hasn't started yet."

Jack gave him a weak smile, before giving him a small, awkward wave. "Alright, then. I guess I'll just... go. Yeah."

The two Guardians looked at each other for a moment, before Jack shook his head and approached Bunnymund, wrapping his arms around the Pooka's neck into a hug. Bunnymund's eyes widened and Jack pulled back, smiling slightly. "I may not know what happened, but, uh, I want you to know I'm so sorry for whatever it is," he said, "And... well. It's okay. You... you have us now." He blushed slightly, "You have _me_ now."

Bunnymund blinked at the boy's sudden expression of affection. It was true he had lost everything he had of his old life-his family, his friends, his home-but now, _now_, he had family. A new family-North, Toothiana, Sandy, and even young Jack. A smile crossed Bunnymund's face and he laid his paw on top of the boy's head.

"Come on," he said, "You can sleep here for tonight."

"Really?" Jack asked, his eyes hopeful.

"Yeah," Bunnymund replied, chuckling. "I get nightmares too, you know."

Jack chuckled weakly, minutely aware of the man he had chased away from Bunnymund's bedside. "... Yeah." A pair of yellow eyes stared right at him from behind Bunnymund and he stiffened up, but not visibly enough for the Pooka to notice. He laughed weakly, nodding. "Yeah. I know."

A grin broke out in the darkness, before disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

I feel awkward, but there you guys have it. I hope you enjoy what I made.

How uncanny I get the thirteenth chapter. Is this some sort of premonition or something?

Until next time?

... I don't actually know if I'll do something like this again.


	14. BONUS - Quelle Belle Soirée - JackRabbit

OKAY SINCE SOMEONE ASKED FOR IT, AND PEOPLE NEED THE BUNNY/JACK HERE IT IS.

MADE THIS TO SATISFY MYSELF. I'M SUCH A SAD PERSON.

IF YOU DO NOT LIKE BL, THEN PLEASE SKIP THIS CHAPTER. LEGIT. THIS IS LEGIT SHIPPING. THANK FOR SAILING WITH M/V BUKKUNKUN.

* * *

_Imagine your OTP copying the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp._

Notes: Because someone asked for it, and I wanted some of this too, I decided to fill in the void of my wallowing despair. Cas is still asleep (he sleeps like a rock, hahaha) so it's my turn on the laptop, yay!

Warnings: BL BL BL BL SHIPPING LEGIT I TOLD YOU GUYS SO I TOLD YOU SO, HUMAN!AU. Where North and Tooth are married and they have Sandy and Jack as their kids and Aster as their neighbour guy and stuff, AGE GAP ISSUES BUT WHATEVER I LIKE MY MEN OLDER THAN ME, in this fic Jack's 18 and Aster's 29 and Sandy's 25, Jack being cute i'm cry, Bunny being tsundere i'm cry, North and Tooth are THE BEST PARENTS EVER I'M CRY, Sandy is the watchguard because a certain Pitch Black's a little displeased with the current development, bukkun trying to get over her Bunny/Jack feels but can't

* * *

"So," North looked down at his son, stroking his beard (he had grown it out long as an inside joke with his wife about him being Santa Claus) thoughtfully as he regarded the two men standing in front of him. "You're telling me you're seeing him?"

Jack rubbed his arm awkwardly, looking up at his father, embarrassed. Aster, standing beside him, wasn't having an easy time either, as Tooth's eyes were trained on him so intently it rather scared him. "Yeah, I am." He spared a glance at Aster, who slightly nodded at him, his hand snaking around the boy's waist to grasp his hand. He squeezed it reassuringly, and a small smile spread across Jack's face.

North and Tooth looked at each other, as at the side, Sandy looked on, worried. He knew his brother was old enough to make decisions for himself, and that his parents were perfectly fine with Jack's choices in life (heck, his mother even had a tiny spaz attack when Jack came out to them) but he was worried for Aster. He and the dark-gray-haired man have been good friends for so long, it was difficult for Sandy to not get worried about him, but with Aster's new job, however (a professional boxer, _really_,) he was slightly worried about how North and Tooth were going to take to this.

A tension hung heavily in the room, as the two young men stood next to each other, worry in their hearts as Tooth and North silently debated about the situation in their minds. Were they going to be okay with it? Was North going to threaten Aster with his life? Was Tooth going to allow her youngest son to go live with a man with a dangerous life?

Their worry was short-lived, however, when North eventually smiled. The tension disappeared so quickly, Sandy was relieved it wouldn't last any longer lest he sign-sassed his way out of the room to leave the four of them alone. Jack smiled as his father did, and rushed forward to hug him tightly, overjoyed.

"I think that's an okay?" Aster asked, and Tooth giggled behind her hand.

"Of course," She nodded, "We've known you all your life, Aster. We know you won't hurt our precious baby," she smiled, and Jack pulled away from North to pout at her.

"Mom," he sighed, but she giggled and dismissively waved his protest off. He smiled at her, though, and went over to her to give her a hug as well.

"However, there are still going to be rules," North spoke up, holding up a finger at Aster, who nodded, his face all-business and sincerity.

"Of course, sir," he nodded. "Just name them."

"You make him happy, alright?" North smiled, and Aster smiled back at him, fond and happy. "Marry him, give him a nice home, adopt a dog, whatever you kids want to do these days," he waved his hand, "But just remember this:" His eyes hardened, and Aster was taken aback at North's expression-he looked like a fierce Cossack about to make a death threat-and he _was_ going to threaten Aster. "The moment you make him cry, or hurt him, or anything of that kind, I swear I will **_end_** you." He threatened, Aster's eyes widening at the sudden change in the man's mood, "I'll skin you alive and feed your cock to the dogs, _while you're watching_."

Aster gulped heavily, and Jack looked over his shoulder at his father, pulling away from Tooth, a shocked expression on his face.

"Am I understood?" North asked, and Aster nodded, visibly paling.

"Y-yes, sir." He stuttered, "Understood. Completely. Yep, gotcha, mate," he rambled, pulling back and away from North, unconsciously shielding his privates with his hands as Jack went over to his side, worry on his face. He held his boyfriend's arm gingerly to ground him, before turning to look at his father, a pout on his face.

"Dad, _seriously_?" Jack asked, but North laughed and ruffled the boy's snow-white hair.

"You know I only want you to be happy," he replied, before turning his attention to Aster. "Now, let's go plan something for the two of you to enjoy!" he grinned brightly, before turning to talk to his wife, who was already getting stars in her eyes.

"Wh-what, sir? I-I-I don't understand," Aster choked, "S-sir. Crickey."

"Aster," Jack winced, comfortingly stroking the man's arm. "Calm down. My dad's not going to kill you, okay?" He gently assured the man, pulling him aside to comfort him, fanning him lightly with his hand.

Aster looked down at the teenager, before sighing, and pulling him into a hug. "My lucky snow bunny." He murmured against Jack's hair, the younger man in his arms chuckling at the affectionate term Aster had grown to use on him.

Sandy tapped his shoulder, and he turned his head to face the blonde, smiling brightly at the two of them, giving them two thumbs-up. Jack grinned at his older brother, before giving him a thumbs-up too, pulling slightly away from Aster so the man's arms hung low around his waist.

"_Goob job, you two_," Sandy signed at them, grinning. "_I'm so happy for you._"

"Thanks, mate," Aster grinned at Sandy, patting the man's shoulder. "Helped that you're here."

"_Of course,_" Sandy replied, silently chuckling, "_So, how're you two going to celebrate?_"

"Well, I don't know," Jack began to say, when North quickly grabbed his shoulder and spun him to face him, grinning brightly. "Dad?"

"We have the _perfect_ idea," he grinned, looking at Tooth, who nodded excitedly, stars now shining very brightly in her eyes. "You're going to _love_ this."

Jack and Aster frowned, looking at each other, as Sandy quietly laughed behind his hand. Whatever North had planned, it was going to be _interesting_.

* * *

A full-course candlelit dinner by the river was the last thing on Jack's mind when he opened his eyes; knowing his quirky, fun-loving, wonderful (but sometimes a little _too_ wonderful) father, he was _bound_ to have something... different in store for Jack and Aster, but as the blindfolds were taken off their eyes and they fell on a table for two set up by the peacefully-coursing river, right beneath the full moon, shining and luminous high above them, lighing the entire area with a lovely light white glow.

"Wow," Jack breathed, turning around to look at his father, who smiled down at him lovingly. "Dad, I..."

"Don't mention it," North smiled at him, taking Aster's and Jack's hands and bringing them together. "Go on, to the table. Your dinner will come shortly."

Aster and Jack looked at each other, before at Tooth and North, but the married couple just smiled at them and gently urged them on to get to the tables. Smiling slightly, they did as they were told, settling down across each other at the small table, a small candle burning between them.

"Gotta say," Aster smiled at Jack, who rested his elbows on the table and rested his head on his palms. "Your parents are amazing."

"I know," Jack chuckled, and Aster laughed, lightly tapping Jack on his nose. "They've known you since you were a baby, they really like you. I think... I think they're _glad_ we're together?"

"Hope so," Aster nodded, "But remember back then? When you always said you hated me?"

"Oh, I was a kid back then, you know how kids are like." Jack dismissed, smirking, but Aster smirked right back at him, taking Jack's chin and looking right at him.

"Oh, but you're a kid yourself too, right now, right?" he asked, his voice dropping low and roughening to a seductive husk, and Jack shivered in delight, a pink blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Shut up," Jack laughed, pulling away from his boyfriend, the blush clear on his face in the light from the candle and the moon above them. "Don't even go there."

"I haven't _gone there_, mate," Aster grinned, leaning forward, "Not unless you want me to, eh?"

"Aster!" Jack laughed out loud, delightedly scandalised, "My parents are with us, you know!"

"I don't know," Aster grinned, "I remember I was granted their full, wholehearted blessing?" he chuckled, taking Jack's hand from the table and kissing it, his lips feather-light against the teenager's smooth dorsum. "Am I right?"

"My dad threatened to skin you alive and feed your cock to dogs," Jack said, pulling his hand away, smirking right back at his boyfriend. "Not exactly a _full, wholehearted_ _blessing_."

"Okay, shut up," Aster laughed, but Jack's smirk widened.

"I'm starting to want you to make me."

"Is that an invitation?"

"How about a challenge?"

"Oh," Aster began to laugh, when Tooth clearing her throat interrupted them, and the two looked up to see her holding a large plate of pasta in her hands. A bucket of ice was slung around her arm in the crook of her elbow, where a bottle of red wine and a pair of wineglasses were. "Ah, Miss Tooth," he said, his cheeks flushing red in embarrassment, as Jack snickered from across him. He stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend as Tooth giggled, putting the plate down on the table, handing them a fork each.

"Play nice, boys," she giggled, "You can do whatever you want after this," and at this, both Aster and Jack blushed bright red. Tooth's smile widened as she continued, "But for now, eat up. Spaghetti bolognese and red wine!" she announced, before putting the bucket of ice on the table, pulling out the wineglasses and placing them the right way up next to the two men.

"Thanks, mom," Jack smiled at her, and she giggled, stroking her son's hair and planting a soft kiss on his forehead. She leant in close to whisper something in his ear, and Jack gave her a look of confusion but leant forward to meet her halfway.

"_Your Uncle Pitch is _livid_,_" Tooth whispered, her voice shaking due to laughter. "_He wants to come here _right now_ and tear Aster's head off, quote, _'What do you mean Jack's on a date with someone? I refuse to allow that precious boy be tainted, you hear? I'll tear that ruffian's head off-I'm coming straight there **now**!' _Just thought you'd like to know._"

Jack started snickering behind his hand, earning him a look of concern from Aster. Tooth pulled away from her son and winked at him. "I have Sandy standing guard around you two, so don't worry. Enjoy yourselves, okay?" she smiled at Aster, who smiled at her weakly, before she walked away, towards the stairs leading up to the road, where her husband was, working on something inside the family van.

Jack, still snickering, started mixing the pasta. "Aster, come on. Let's get eating or the pasta'll get cold."

"Jack, what was that all about?" Aster asked, joining in with mixing the pasta. "Your mother's got me worried. What did she mean by Sandy's on watch around us?"

"Don't mind it," Jack waved him off, "Let's just eat, okay?"

Aster blinked at Jack, who smiled sweetly at him. He sighed, and began to turn his fork in the pasta. Well, if Jack said it was alright, then he should just go with it, right?

* * *

"Nicholas! I _demand_ an explanation!" Pitch Black yelled right as he opened the door of his black Porsche, stepping out of the car and striding straight over to his ex-employee. "Jackson is on a _date_? How could you let him? I'll have that bastard stealing that precious boy away hanged this _instant_!"

"Pitch, Pitch, calm down," Tooth spoke up, but the man shook his head.

"He's still _eighteen_! Barely an adult! I refuse to stand by and let him get _ruined_ by some fool who decided it was a good idea to-"

"Pitch, Aster's dating him." North cut him off, holding his hand up to silence the man. "You know Aster, that nice young man that comes over so often-"

"You said they _hated_ each other! _They_ said they hated each other!"

"The more you hate, the more you love?" Tooth smiled, shrugging, and Pitch looked at her, shocked. "Look, Pitch, it's nice that you're concerned for Jack and all, but this is his decision and we stand by him, no matter what he ends up doing in the future."

"We gave them the green light to get married," North spoke up, and Pitch gasped, gaping at the man.

"Are you _insane_?" Pitch yelled, "What about his career? He's just begun as a singer, you can't expect him to take on _marriage_ all of a sudden, he has to sort his career out first!"

"Pitch, he's going to marry a professional boxer. I think he knows what he's doing." North laughed, slapping Pitch's back _heavily_, earning him a strangled sound of protest from his ex-employer. "Look, just relax. Let Jack do his thing."

"I will not!" Pitch pulled away, "If you two won't get to it, then _I _will!"

With those words, he stormed away in the direction of the riverbank where Jack and Aster were. Sighing, Tooth looked at North, who chuckled.

"Oh, Pitch. Still so protective over Jack even after all these years." He sighed fondly, before pulling out a walky-talky he had with him. "Sandy? Do your thing. Pitch is coming your way."

Tooth's phone rang, signalling a text message, and the two of them looked at it:

"_You guys can count on me. I'm _so_ getting Aster laid tonight._"

Tooth and North shared a look, before the two of them laughed fondly.

"Ah, kids." He sighed, "I remember when I was that age."

"So did I," Tooth replied, elbowing him. "_Very_ clearly." She giggled, before giving her husband a kiss. "Come on, let's get that KFC bucket open. I'm craving for spicy tonight."

* * *

Sitting together in comfortable silence, Jack and Aster shared the plate of pasta. They were looking right at each other as they ate, laughing ever so often when one of them slurps up a noodle a little too loudly than usual, or wiping away smears that had made their way onto the corners of their mouths.

"This is nice," Aster spoke up, turning his fork in the pasta. "The river, the food, the moon, the breeze," he smiled, bringing up the pasta he rolled onto his fork. "You," he said, before eating the pasta.

"Yeah, keep talking," Jack chuckled, popping his own ball of pasta into his mouth, and together they ate the noodles, sucking them in, until a singular noodle lifted from the plate, connecting their mouths together. Their eyes widened and they looked at each other.

Aster smiled, and continued on his merry path, and Jack, chuckling, did the same, until their lips met halfway. Smiling into the kiss, Aster moved forward, deepening it, as he tasted Jack's lips-sweet and cool, like the most exquisite ice cream he had ever tasted, mixed in with the flavour of the pasta they had been sharing. To Jack, Aster tasted like carrots-the man always liked the root crop, and Jack had always laughed at him about it, but it was one little quirk he had loved about the man-and sweet dewdrops in the morning. The pasta's flavour was at the back of his mind as he got up from his seat, their kiss still not breaking, and sat down on Aster's lap, wrapping his arms around the back of the man's neck.

They pulled slightly apart for air, panting lightly into each other's mouths, and Aster let out a breathless chuckle, pressing their foreheads together lovingly.

"Does this mean I'm getting some tonight, mate?" he murmured into Jack's soft lips, and the younger man sitting on his lap laughed lightly, nuzzling their noses together.

"Depends on how much I've had to drink," Jack breathed, snuggling closer to Aster, the scent of wine lightly lacing Jack's breath. "Think you can get me some more?"

"Can do, mate," Aster smirked, pulling away from Jack for a moment to reach for his wineglass-and noticing that Jack's was empty, he had downed the wine in one go? He had just refilled that-and bringing it close to Jack for the younger man to drink. "Go on," he urged, pressing the rim to the boy's pink lips. Smirking slightly, Jack parted them and Aster tilted the glass for the red wine to flow into his mouth, colouring his lips darker as some of the wine clung to them. Aster's throat went dry when he pulled the glass away from Jack, earning him a whine of protest from the boy. Aster drank the sight of his boyfriend in-lips, full and stained with dark red wine shone in the light from the moon, as big, lumious ice-blue eyes stared at him.

"More wine, Aster," Jack said, and the man grinned.

"Jack, I think you're tipsy," he said, "I don't think you should have some more if the both of us want to get any tonight."

Jack pouted at him, and Aster laughed, leaning in to kiss him again, licking the wine off Jack's lips as he claimed them, while his hand turned the fork in the pasta to get some of it. Pulling away, Aster ate the forkful of the pasta, before kissing Jack again, passing half of the food into the boy's mouth. Giggling, Jack pulled away to chew on the pasta, before swallowing.

"Has this turned into foodplay now?" he asked, "You have no shame, E. Aster Bunnymund."

"As do you, Jackson Frost North." Aster smirked, "Climbing into my lap and kissing senselessly doesn't sound like it should be happening at a restaurant."

"Well, then, bless my parents for thinking _this_ up," Jack chuckled, leaning in to kiss Aster again-

"Jackson!" a voice suddenly cut through the air, causing the two to stop, the both of them turning their heads to see a man dressed in black running straight at them, several items stuck onto him, like a plunger, a rake, a bucket was on one of his feet. Jack's eyes widened and he stood up from his spot on Aster's lap.

"Uncle Pitch?" he asked, "But... I thought,"

"You shouldn't be here!" Pitch scolded him, grabbing his hand, "I don't know what your parents are thinking, but you're too young to be doing things like this!"

"Uncle Pitch, I'm 18!" Jack protested, but Pitch shook his head.

"Not yet, you're not ready yet!" he replied, just as Sandy ran up to them. Panting, he tried pulling Pitch away from Jack, but the man shook his head at the blonde and pulled his arm away from Sandy. "Sanderson, don't tell me you're helping them out too?" Pitch asked, and Sandly pouted at him, clearly displeased. Pitch's eyes widened and he shook his head, grabbing Sandy's arm as well. "You two! Really! You should know better than to play along with your father's crazy plans! You know how they go!"

"I _like_ dad's plans!" Jack protested, looking at Aster over his shoulder desperately, who immediately stood up from his seat. "Aster!" he called, but Pitch pulled him along.

"Come on, you two," he frowned, before turning to look at Aster, who stared at him in shock. "And as for you, despite you being with their family for their lives, I still refuse to let you have dear little Jackson!"

"Uh, are you their legit uncle or something?" he asked, and Pitch whirled around (whirling Jack and Sandy around too, the two brothers protesting at the sudden turn) to glare at him.

"I am their god-uncle." Pitch said, and Sandy rolled his eyes.

"_Self-proclaimed, Jack totally reined him into our family with his big baby blues_." He signed at Aster, who blinked at him, confused. Jack laughed, and Pitch frowned at Sandy, clearly not amused. The blonde grinned at Pitch. "_Sorry. Just stating the facts_."

"Who taught you how to sass in sign-language?" Pitch shook his head, before turning his attention to Aster. "Now, for their safety, I ask-no, _demand_ you to keep away from them, save for necessary interactions, is that understood?"

"I heard sex is a necessity for humans," Jack spoke up, earning him a look of shock from Pitch. "Just saying," he grinned, and Aster laughed.

"Stay away from these precious boys," Pitch growled at him, before stalking away, pulling Jack and Sandy behind him.

"Sorry, Aster!" Jack managed to call out to his boyfriend, who weakly waved back, sighing in disappointment.

"It's okay, I'll see you tomorrow!" He called back.

"I'll text you!" he heard Jack yell, before his mop of white hair disappeared into a black Porsche (which, by the way, was pretty _fine_, if Aster had a say in it), followed by Sandy, who was waving goodbye at him.

"And there goes my night," Aster sighed, but then suddenly he felt a hand grasp his shoulder firmly and he turned to see North grinning down at him, Tooth by his side. "Mr. North?" he asked, but then suddenly Tooth grabbed his hand and put something in it, something cool and metallic. She clasped his hand around it and patted it securely.

"We'll make sure he's in by ten. Don't bring him back until tomorrow at seven, alright?" She smiled at him, and Aster blinked, before looking down at his hand, unfurling it to reveal a shining key. His eyes widened and he looked up at the two, who smiled at him.

"Is that a deal?" North asked, and Aster nodded quickly.

"Best deal I've ever heard, mate."

* * *

OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THIS BUT THERE WE GO.

I DON'T EVEN WANT TO WAIT FOR THE MOVIE ANYMORE.

I LOVE THIS FANDOM /SOBBING

Oh, and AU Canon: Pitch Black was North's employer, and boss. North brought wee!baby!Jack to work on "Bring Your Kids to Work Day" and he wandered off and into Pitch's office and stayed there the entire day. North was so worried sick but he was apparently safe and sound with Pitch, who was totally enamoured by the adorable little boy. From then on, he stopped terrorizing North and started coming over often to look after Jack and Sandy. HAHAHA


	15. Cranes From a Hardbound Novel -Quicksand

AND THEN MY FEELS STRUCK AND NOW I HAVE THIS. OMG YOU GUYS SRSLY

* * *

_Imagine your otp meeting and falling in love in a coffee shop._

Notes: An AU of my Human!AU sorry not sorry. Sandy's a mute writer who frequents a coffee shop where his little brother Jack works at to earn a living to make it through college. His brother's boyfriend, his best friend Aster's working there too and they flirt a lot, and Sandy's like, 'ha, ha, very funny guys, fuck you' but all is good and all. But then one day he meets this handsome stranger named Kozmotis Pitchiner, who, was an artist-a paintor, in fact-but was both deaf and mute. Soon they became close, really close, until Kozmotis reveals to Sandy somethine he had been hiding for a long, long time. (Jack = 16, Aster = 27, Sandy = 23, Kozmotis = 27)

Warnings: Boys with disabilities, tw: death, coffee shop romance that doesn't quite turn out how it should, Cas is rubbing off on me omg, Jack and Aster being cuties i'm cry, Sandy being a cutie i'm cry, human!nice!pitch omg, human name usage like whoa, book-savvy might be needed, FLUFFY AS FUCK BL, BUT THEN AGAIN OMG YOU GUYS, SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU FOR SHIPPING WITH M/V BUKKUNKUN, PITCH I AM SO SORRY BUT I LOVE YOU YOU KNOW THAT, BESIDES YOU'RE IN THIS AU. TWICE. IF THAT DOESN'T SAY I LOVE YOU, THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT DOES.

* * *

"_Have you read Sanderson Mansnoozie's novel_?"

"_Oh, my gosh, the one about the dreams being turned to nightmares? I _love_ that book! I heard he's making a sequel for it! Look, my copy's signed!_"

"_Whoa! Where'd you get that? I thought he doesn't show his face in public!_"

"_I'm friends with his editor, so he had this signed for me. Isn't it the coolest?_"

"_Whoa, I'm so jealous of you!_"

Sandy looked up from his laptop to see another teacup being put down next to him, the scent of roses filling the air as rose tea was poured into it. A smile crossed his face as he looked up to see who was serving him-grinning down at him was his younger brother Jack, grinning at him.

"Hear that? Fan rambling. You're getting around now; soon enough the entire neighbourhood will be talking about you." He commented, putting the teapot down on the table, as Sandy's eyes widened. The mute man raised a finger to his lips to quieten his brother, who laughed and nodded, sitting down next to Sandy, looking at the screen where the man was typing. "So, how's it going? The story?"

"_No luck_," Sandy signed at his brother, sighing silently. "_It's like I have writer's block, or something._" he looked down at his own copy of the book being talked about by the two girls sitting not too far from where he was at the corner of the shop, hard-bound, and filled with notes written in cruel red pen by his editor Katherine. Smiling tiredly, he picked it up and opened it, to show Jack what Katherine had written on it: _GET TO WORK, SANDY, OR I'LL HAVE ASTER BEAT YOU UP._

"Ever the slave driver, Kat," Jack laughed, reading the message. "Don't worry about Aster. I'll hold him back for you."

"Can never resist a pretty pair of baby blues," the aforementioned man spoke up, slinging his arm over the teen's shoulders, earning him a pretty pink blush from the younger man. Aster smirked at Jack, who pouted at him and turned his face away, before turning his attention to Sandy. "Writer's block?" he asked, and Sandy nodded. He gave him a sympathetic look. "I feel you, mate, it must be difficult to get through something like that."

Sandy shrugged. "_I'll figure something out. Now, get a room, you two._"

Aster laughed, and Jack's blush deepened. "Come on, Jackie, let's serve the other people. We can't hang around Sandy all day," he grinned, before dragging his boyfriend away, leaving Sandy by himself, smiling at the two of them fondly, before turning his attention to the screen.

It was pitifully half-empty, with nothing but a description of what the setting was like. He sighed, before taking a sip of the tea, sighing as the aroma of roses filled his senses. Jack's brews were simply _lovely_, he thought, smiling as he slumped back in his seat and stared at the screen, pressing his lips to the rim of the cup as he randsacked his mind for ideas, for anything, _anything at all_, that could help with the story.

There was none. Groaning silently, Sandy slapped his forehead and leaned back further, his head falling back to look upside-down at the entrance of the cafe, pouting as he tried to think, but there really wasn't anything in his mind.

Suddenly, however, a body blocked his vision, and his eyes widened. He straightened up and turned around to see a young man (most likely in his late twenties, around Aster's age) standing behind him, a kind smile on his face as he tipped his jet-black fedora in a friendly greeting at him. Blinking blankly, Sandy nodded at him.

"_Is it alright if I sat with you?_" the man signed at Sandy, and the blonde's eyes widened. Was this man mute like he was? He quickly recovered from his surprise, however, and nodded, gesturing at the empty seat across him. The man smiled at him, nodding in thanks, before taking a seat across him. Awkwardly, Sandy looked around the cafe-it wasn't full, but it wasn't empty either. There were still a few tables around where the man could have seated, but why come to him, of all people? The man rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, smiling at Sandy, who blinked at him in surprise.

"_Is there something I can help you with?_" he signed, and the man chuckled silently behind his hand.

"_Actually, it is you I want to help. You seemed so stressed out and bothered with whatever it was you were doing, I wanted to help you out._" He replied, "_And that nice boy at the counter pointed to me that you were the only person available that could understand me._"

Sandy raised an eyebrow and looked at the counter, where he saw Jack wiping a few coffee cups. He grinned slightly-the boy was always trying the hook him up with someone, _anyone_-male _or_ female, since Sandy had told him he didn't really care about gender when it came to love. Shaking his head fondly, he turned his attention back to the man, who was still smiling at him.

"_He's my brother._" Sandy signed at him, "_Are you mute, like me?_"

"_I'm both mute and deaf,_" he replied, and Sandy nodded in understanding, "_But,_" he held up a finger, grinning. "_I do enjoy a good story every once in a while._"

A smile spread across Sandy's face. "_Well, then. Think you can help me out here? I'm in a bit of a predicament._"

"_Of course._" The man replied, "_My name is..._" He signed out something, but Sandy couldn't comprehend what he was saying. He made a confused face, and cocked his head. The man laughed silently, before gesturing at Sandy's laptop. "_I'll show you. May I?_"

Nodding, Sandy turned his laptop to face the man, who typed out his name.

_My name is Kozmotis Pitchiner. It's very nice to finally meet you, Sanderson Mansnoozie_.

Sandy's eyes widened and he gaped at the man, who was still smiling at him so kindly. "_How did you know?_" he asked, hurriedly signing his message. "_You couldn't possibly..._"

"_I sort of took a guess when I saw you at your laptop. You had the book in your lap, and there were Post-it notes sticking out of the pages._" The man winked at him, and a blush spread across Sandy's cheeks. Had he really been that obvious? No one really noticed it before.

"_No one noticed it before._" Sandy reasoned, and the Kozmotis chuckled silently.

"_I notice a lot of things. Usually, the most beautiful things are the ones usually unseen._"

Sandy hesitated for a moment, considering the man's words as Kozmotis looked over the half-empty document. A hand grasping his shook him out of his reverie to see Kozmotis smiling at him.

"_Don't worry,_" he signed, "_Your secret's safe with me. I'm no writer, so you don't have to worry about your story being in any danger. I'm an artist, a painter, actually, and I'm a big fan of yours._" Kozmotis squeezed Sandy's hand reassuringly. "_And let me tell you, I was enamoured the moment I read the first chapter of that beautiful novel of yours._"

For some strange reason, the man was causing the strangest sensations in Sandy's chest. It wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't particularly welcome and familiar as well. Confused, Sandy blinked for a moment, considering Kozmotis's words, and the man's expression fell slightly.

"_Sanderson?_" he signed.

Sandy nodded, shaking his head. He had come to a decision. "_Yeah, you can help me. I'm totally fine with it._" He gave Kozmotis an awkward smile. "_And call me Sandy. It sounds wierd to hear my whole name from someone that doesn't come from my parents's generation._"

Kozmotis blinked at him, before laughing behind his hand silently.

Somehow, that strange fluttering in Sandy's chest seemed much more welcome than it used to.

* * *

"So, how was the guy? Was he nice?" Jack asked, as he and Sandy walked home together, sharing a long (rather messily-knitted) scarf that their mother had made for them. (Granted, it was her first time knitting, and the results were rather predictable.) Blowing into his hands to warm them up, Jack looked at his brother. "You two seemed pretty tight after that. What happened?"

"_When will you stop asking questions?_" Sandy exasperatedly signed, but he was smiling fondly. "_And for your information, we weren't 'tight',_" he punctuated the signed word with an extra sign-quotation marks. "_We just had to sit closer together so we could both work on my manuscript._"

"Hold up, hold up!" Jack laughed, grinning, "You let _him_ help _you_ on your manuscript? You don't even let me or Aster help you out!"

"_Jack, you're more of a singer and Aster's starting on his boxing career. Do you think I'd ask you two for help?_"

"Sheesh, sass queen much?" Jack laughed, "You only get prissy when you're trying to hide something." he grinned, as they neared their house's door. "Something happened between you two, I can feel it! I'm _so_ giving Aster a call after this."

Sandy gave him a look that rather clearly brought his point-'_I'm getting real tired of your bullshit, Jack_'-and Jack merely laughed him off, slapping him on the back _hard_. (At the back of his mind, Sandy realised that the back-slapping their father was so fond of had been passed down to Jack. Oh, _joy_.)

"_Jack, get off my case, Kozmotis is just a friend._" Sandy signed at his brother, who did a double-take, pausing as he reached for their house's dorknob.

"Who?" He asked, not recognising the sign Sandy learned that stood for Kozmotis's name. Realising his mistake, he pulled out his phone and searhed through the contacts to find Kozmotis's name, before showing it to Jack. Jack eyed the man's name and hummed in thought. "Kozmotis. Wierd name." He tapped his chin in thought-but then froze. "Hey, wait, you got his _number_?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face faster than lightning.

"_Well, yeah, it's necessary for_..." Sandy never got to finish signing to Jack as the younger man ran into the house, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"_Mom! Dad!_" he was yelling loudly, "_Sandy's got a boyfriend! He actually got one this time around!_"

Sandy's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he ran inside to grab his brother, only to be blocked by his mother and father, looking far too proud for him to feel comfortable with.

"I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am for you," Tooth gushed, pulling Sandy into a hug, "Oh, I'm so happy you found someone."

"_Mom, I don't have a boyfriend, I just met someone at the coffee shop,_" he signed at his mother, but North laughed.

"That's where they always start," he said, and Sandy looked at his father, an exasperated look on his face.

"_Dad!_"

"Chill out, Sandy," Jack grinned, peering out at him from behind North. "Who knows, maybe you really will end up with this Kozmotis guy," he winked, "Never say never! Look at what happened to me and Aster."

"_That only worked because the both of you are idiots_," Sandy signed at him, earning him a look of surprise from his brother.

"I'm not an idiot!" he yelled indignantly, as Tooth and North laughed at their sons' antics.

"Come on, you two, close the door and let's get on with dinner." Tooth smiled at them, "There you can tell us all about this Kozmotis fellow."

Running his hand down his face, Sandy sighed and closed the door behind him, shaking his head fondly at his family.

* * *

"_You don't look very well,_" Kozmotis signed at him after around an hour and a half of straight, back-to-back writing and discussing the story in rushed, excited sign language. "_Did you have a good night's sleep last night?_"

Sandy shook his head, shoulders slumping-but he immediately straightened up, remembering that his brother was just nearby, and he sharply turned his head to see Jack and Aster standing at the counter, whispering into each other's ear conspiratorially and looking over at where he and Kozmotis sat, snickering between themselves. The blonde frowned at them. "_Cut it out, you two_," he signed at them, but they only laughed him off and continued either flirting or gossiping about him and his newfound friend.

Kozmotis was chuckling when he turned his attention back to the man. Sandy looked at him. "_You too? Really?_"

"_Your brother and his boyfriend are hilariously adorable,_" Kozmotis signed messily, laughing. "_Makes me wish I had siblings_."

"_You're an only child?_" Sandy asked, cocking his head, and Kozmotis nodded.

"_Living alone now. No parents, too._"

"_Oh, wow._" Sandy looked to side, "_Do you have friends_?"

"_Acquaintances; here and there._" the man smiled at Sandy so kindly, it sent shivers through the blonde, and a blush blossomed on his cheeks. "_But you're the closest thing I have to a friend._"

Sandy's blush deepened and he turned his face away from the man in a vain attempt to hide it. Kozmotis smiled at him and gently turned Sandy's head back to face him by pulling his cheeks gently with two soft fingers. Confused, Sandy blinked at Kozmotis, who smiled at him.

"_Let's go somewhere. Clear your head out a bit._" he signed, "_It can help you with your writer's block. Walking around in a park helps me with my art block._"

Sandy couldn't bother to look behind him to know Jack and Aster was having a field day with their conversation (that, mercifully, only the two of them, aside from the rest of the people inside the cafe could understand), but he somehow couldn't care less what his idiot brother and his boyfriend was thinking of, not when Kozmotis's warm hand was on his and the gentle, feather-light touch of his fingers were still lingering on his cheek.

He nodded, and Kozmotis smiled, moving to save their work and shut the laptop down.

* * *

He had fun with Kozmotis, funnily enough, the two of them just sitting on a park bench as around them the orange leaves fell from the trees, talking to each other about anything they could think of-their interests, their likes, their hates, the current political scandal taking place (here, they almost launched into a debate regarding the current state of their politics, but then the two laughed it off and waved it away dismissively, how silly of them to be fighting over something like that), Jack and Aster (here Sandy would regularly cut in to vehemently deny that Jack was anything but _nice_, as Kozmotis had put it the first time they met), and so much more.

Sandy hadn't had a laugh with someone else other than Aster and Jack before. It was rather refreshing, to say the least.

They talked about each other. Sandy learned that Kozmotis was a minor artist, some of his paintings were being exhibited at nearby art galleries, and one of them-the best one he had made so far, he said-was being showcased at the gallery nearest to the cafe. He was a regular at the cafe for a while a few months ago, before he had to be hospitalised (and the reason why, he refused to tell Sandy). His first day back at the cafe was the first time they met; imagine his surprise to see his idolised author sitting at the very place he used to frequent!

Kozmotis apparently _loved_ Sandy's works, even though there were only three books he had made out there, his most favourite one the very first Sandy had ever written-_Dreamsand_, a novel about turning even the darkest, most frightening nightmares into the most beautiful, touching dreams one could ever see.

Sandy didn't have much to tell Kozmotis; he had a younger brother, his father works at a toy company, his mother, at a university; but the man drank in his life story anyway, like it was a lovely little tale he had written up.

He couldn't shake the feeling that they were on a _date_, but somehow, Sandy found that he was enjoying himself. It seemed rather obvious that Kozmotis was, too, so he just settled for sitting back and enjoying the ride.

Days passed, as autumn turned to winter; where their walks became more frequent, Sandy and Kozmotis learning more and more about each other the more time they spent together-they were nearly inseparable two weeks later, communicating silently yet animatedly as Sandy blazed on with his manuscript, confident with the progress he was making.

"Hey, Koz," Jack spoke up to catch Sandy's attention, in turn catching Kozmotis's as well, setting down two cups-Darjeeling tea for Sandy and black coffee for Kozmotis-at their table. "_Want to come over at our place later tonight? Mom and Dad want you to come over for dinner_." He signed at the man, grinning as he smoothly shaped his message for the deaf man to understand.

Kozmotis raised an eyebrow and looked at Sandy, who blushed and smiled sheepishly. "_Please?_" he signed at the man, who smiled at him fondly, chuckling silently, before turning his attention to Jack.

"_It would be an honour._" he signed at the teen, "_Of course, only a fool would refuse such an invitation._"

Jack grinned, raising an eyebrow, as he watched Kozmotis turn his attention back to his brother. He looked over his shoulder at Aster and gave him a thumbs-up. "_Score_," he mouthed at his boyfriend, who laughed and waved him over to help him serve some more drinks.

* * *

Dinner with the St. Norths was always an interesting affair, since good old Nicholas St. North was never dull company.

He asked Kozmotis so many questions-both silly and serious, causing loads of giggles and laughter at the table, making Kozmotis feel more welcome than he had ever felt in a long while. He was glowing and happy in their presence, smiling brightly at his place by Sandy's side, who was preoccupied with watching his new friend-his handsome features turned up in a joyous smile, glimmering eyes filled with mirth-_oh._

Sandy's cheeks coloured when he came to a startling realisation.

He had fallen in love, hadn't he?

That evening, (after much egging on and convincing from North, Tooth _and_ Jack,) Kozmotis agreed to stay over at the guest bedroom, where he and Sandy sat together on the bed in awkward silence.

The two looked at each other, Kozmotis curious and Sandy embarrassed, until the blonde decided to break the ice.

"_I have something I want you to know_," Sandy signed at the man, "_Just before I go to bed._"

Kozmotis nodded, shrugging. "_Sure, what is it?_"

Sandy balled his hands into fists, steadying himself, and Kozmotis raised an eyebrow. Sandy exhaled, shaking his head and bouncing slightly in place, before leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss on the man's lips. Quickly he pulled back, a bright red blush on his cheeks as he tried very hard to keep his eyes from meeting Kozmotis's.

The elder man blinked in surprise, but his look of surprise melted into warm happiness, before taking Sandy's cheeks in his hands and gently turning his head to face him.

"_I love you too_," he mouthed, before pulling Sandy in for a full, proper kiss.

* * *

Days passed after that too fast for Sandy, overwhelmed by the wonderful feeling of being in love. Kozmotis's hand in his, body pressed next to his as they worked together on his novel, and so much more tiny touches and brushes sent sparks flying through him, energising him in a way he had never deemed possible, but he wanted nothing more than this, this lovely, beautiful, _perfect_ love that had blossomed between them.

However, all things that come to a start must come to an end.

One day, as the two walked together in the park, hand in hand, Kozmotis suddenly squeezed Sandy's hand. The blonde turned his head to look at him, worried, and the man gave him a weak smile-

And suddenly he collapsed.

Everything else that followed was a blur to Sandy-the frantic phone call to the hospital, Jack and Aster right by his side as nurses and doctors ran left and right around his vision, making him feel dizzy, so _dizzy-_

He fell unconscious as tired relief from all the confusion washed through him.

* * *

Sandy visited Kozmotis every day, waiting for him to wake up. It took the man seven days to do so, and when he did, he was weak, so _weak_, it broke Sandy's heart to see him suffering in that hospital bed. Kozmotis didn't need to explain anything; the doctors had told Sandy what he needed to know.

Something like this had already happened to Kozmotis-he collapsed, and some kind soul had taken him to the hospital. He was diagnosed with a terminal illness that was eating away at his life-he even had an expiration date; December 25, a mere three days away. When he was discharged, Kozmotis had decided he wanted to do something beautiful with his life before it ended-and that was when he met Sandy.

Silently sobbing, large tears dropping from his golden eyes and onto the white sheets-sterile,_ too sterile, Kozmotis doesn't belong in a hospital bed_-he clutched at the man's hands, mentally begging for this to be all lies, that Kozmotis was going to be okay, that he was just pulling some sick joke and that Jack and Aster were behind this as well-but unfortunately, this was one nightmare Sandy couldn't turn into a beautiful dream.

He paused in his crying to feel Kozmotis's hands moving under his. Eyes widening, he sat up and saw the man smiling up at him sadly, tears in his eyes.

"_Thank you,_" he signed, holding Sandy's hands in his as he did so, "_Thank you for loving me. I have never been so happy before in my entire life._"

"_Please don't go, please_," Sandy signed back at him desperately, his hands shaking as he held up Kozmotis's hands. "_You loved my book, right? Turn this nightmare into a good dream, please, please, please,_"

"_I can't, Sandy, I can't._" Kozmotis sighed, "_It seems... I can't even make it to my expiration date. Just before I go,_"

"_Don't say that! Don't!_"

"_Before I go, I want to tell you I made a masterpiece._" Kozmotis continued, "_It's for you. It's being shown at the gallery near the cafe._" A sad smile crossed Kozmotis's face. "_One last message, one I hope will stay forever. I love you._"

Sandy, eyes filled with tears, nodded. "_I love you too._"

"_I know._" Kozmotis's eyes slid shut. "_I'm glad._"

Suddenly his breathing stilled and his heart rate monitor fell dead. He was gone.

Sandy couldn't remember any time he had cried as hard as he did then.

* * *

"You okay?" Jack asked, standing next to Sandy on Christmas day at the doorway of the gallery Kozmotis had mentioned to him. North, Tooth and Aster stood behind them, all solemnly silent.

Sandy nodded, and walked in ahead of them and into the gallery, where in the middle was a large portrait of a man in golden clothes and golden sand flying around him, sparkling gold eyes and hair full of vibrant happiness and life. Sandy's jaw fell the moment his eyes laid on the portrait.

"It's called the _Sandman_," Jack spoke up, reading the sign next to the portrait, "_A man who makes the most frightening of nightmares into the most beautiful dreams. Dedicated to the one who turned my own nightmare into the best dream I had ever known._"

In front of the portrait was another display; it was a jar, and inside the large jar were countless paper cranes, all of paper that had familiar writing on it. Sandy's eyes widened and filled with tears when he recognised the text. The papers were pages from his first novel-Kozmotis's favourite novel.

"_One Thousand Paper Cranes From a Harbound Novel,_" the title card read, "_One for every hour I spent with you, my loved one. Live on and love again, love as you had loved me. May that love last longer than all the cranes I had ever made._"

In flowing handwriting that Sandy recognised as Kozmotis's, there was a message written on the jar in black marker.

_I love you, my dear Sandman._

* * *

_oh my god i made myself cry with this idk about you guys but jfc i need to get back to happy shit_

I AM SO SORRY IF I MADE ANYONE CRY OR TRIGGERED PEOPLE OR

PITCH/SANDY FOREVER OTP /SHOT

... until next time /sob


	16. Smile With Me - Christmas Eve

OH MY GOD I CAN'T I'M SO SORRY.

* * *

_Imagine one half of your OTP is feeling grumpy so the other half makes silly faces to try to cheer them up._

Warnings: Grumpy!North being a derp omg, Sandy being a sweety, PLATONIC FIC HOW COULD I DO THIS AFTER THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS OMG, part one of two (still debatable) omg i'm doing something like this again, North feels after getting so much fun RP-ing on Tumblr with my North askblog (nicksaintnorth), Sandy is a sweety I want to take him home, CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE OMG, angus being a total derp, ANGUS STOP TRYING TO FUCK UP JACK'S LIFE

* * *

Nicholas St. North was a patient man. He had such a long patience with those who deserved it, the length of his temperance rivalling the length of Ombric's beard, the old wizard had commented long ago. However, like everything that has a start, North's patience had an end.

And frankly, he was reaching it as he looked down at the fourth-_fourth!_ Imagine-delivery plane the elves had broken. This time it had been jumped on by one of the more adventurous ones and it crashed to the ground, causing the sacks of tiny, delicate parts for the fine dolls that it was going to be used for to tumble out of its safe confines and roll along the floor, destroying most of what the yetis had been hard at work making.

Brow creased, North took deep breaths to calm himself down, as the elf that had caused this trouble stood before him, looking every bit sheepish, eyes downcast and hands clasped together in front of it. It garbled an apology at him in its tiny voice, and North sighed heavily, dismissively waving his hand as his stressful headache grew in intensity as the snowstorm outside was doing no wonders to his stress. No doubt Jack was frustrated himself, judging from the intensity of the snowstorm outside, but really, would it kill the boy to just calm down, North was already having such a terrible migraine.

"Just clean this up," he said, turning away from the elf, "And please, for the_ love of God_, don't break anything anymore."

It squeaked out its affirmation, but North sighed, as if the elves were anything but clumsy. Heavily, he walked over to his office to look over the progress reports on their preparations for Christmas. There were only four weeks to go, and around this time things tended to get a bit more hectic than usual as the preparations of getting the presents correctly labeled and wrapped grew in haste to catch up with the big day-Christmas day.

He looked down at the papers on his desk-the North America sector was lagging behind slightly in production, South America was doing a little bit better, Asia was right on track, and Europe was ahead of the others. Africa was having a few problems-the elves' doing, again-and Australasia, well, let's just say he should probably start panicking at the progress they were making.

Sighing heavily, North rested his elbows on his desk and buried his face in his hands. Like always, there had to be something that goes wrong. (Last year, it was Asia having problems. Nice to see they picked up the game this year.)

A knock on the window caught North's attention and he turned to see Sandy, covered in snow and smiling a little sheepishly at him. North's eyes widened and he rushed to get to the window, opening it up and letting the sandman in.

"What's the matter, Sandy?" he asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Sandy smiled at him, shaking the snow off his body, as he sent a golden wisp at North. "_Jack's frustration got me thrown off course, so I decided to stay over for a while_," a whisper in North's ear told him.

North frowned. "I'll talk to him," he said, but Sandy held up his hand, shaking his head. "But you're going to fall behind schedule."

Sandy gave him a thumbs-up and waved his other hand. It was alright, he really didn't mind. Right now, they should let the boy take out his frustrations so he wouldn't keep them all bottled up inside.

North sighed, and sat down in his seat. "If you insist." Sandy flew over to him, a golden question mark appearing above his head. "Oh, why is Jack so frustrated?" North laughed tiredly, "Angus dropped by. You know how those two are like."

Sandy smiled, laughing silently and nodding. He knew. Angus and Jack were like fire and ice-_literally_-and fought like cats and dogs whenever they met. A small visit that Angus had intended for North ended up a flame-ice war between the two teenagers. Angus almost had Jack at a particularly dangerous situation, but North had broken the two up with stern words and a very stressed-out voice that made the two boys immediately relent and and back off. Angus had left quickly, promising another visit to North, and a death threat flung at Jack, who was seething at how it was North who broke them apart. To him, that fight had spelled Angus as its winner, and now, angry and very, very moody, Jack set out throwing the strongest blizzards and snowstorms he could muster around North's workshop.

Of course, it did nothing to help the man's mood, the dim, loud and raucous storm outside coupled with the stresses inside the workshop was enough to wear North's patience dangerously thin.

The thought of his stress immediately made the smile on North's face disappear, replaced with a frown as he thought what kind of trouble could the elves be getting themselves into again, when suddenly he felt Sandy tapping his shoulder. Blinking, his train of thought derailed to see Sandy making funny faces at him, pulling his face this way and that, and coupled with his golden dreamsand, he made silly additions to his face-a ridiculously large moustache, a party hat, a clown nose, to name a few.

Blinking confusedly at Sandy as the sandman kept making funny faces, miming out silly movements, North eyed him, before a smile crossed his face at a particularly silly imitation-Sandy had conjured up a golden cloak and floated above the ground, pulling his face to a long one and messily smoothening his hair back as he used his dreamsand to lengthen his arms, before waving them mock-threateningly at North.

"Are you trying to imitate Pitch?" North laughed, some of his stress dissipating as amusement took over, Sandy grinning as he continued his charade of their archnemesis. Sandy moved around the room in a silly manner, skipping this way and that, while still completely in-character as Pitch, threatening expression and all. North began to laugh, loud and hearty as he watched Sandy make a parody of the Nightmare King himself, his body shaking as his guffaws became loud, his fist beating against his table as he laughed.

Sandy came to a stop right in front of North, grinning, and tried to surprise North with a 'boo!', but it only made the man laugh harder. Sandy's smile widened and he reverted to normal as North began to calm down.

"What was that all about, Sandy?" North asked, wiping a tear from his eye as he brushed a few particles of golden dreamsand from his shoulder. "That was hilarious, by the way, but what did you do that for?"

Sandy pointed at him, and made a face-a grumpy face, and then he took the corners of his mouth and turned it up to make himself smile, as he conjured up a smiley face above his head with his dreamsand.

North blinked at him. "... You wanted to cheer me up?" He asked, and Sandy nodded, grinning. A fond smile crossed North's face and he chuckled, patting the sandman's head, golden dreamsand dusting off his head. "Thank you," he said, nodding. "I guess I needed that. I was very stressed out, my head started hurting," he shrugged, "I wonder if you can make Jack cheer up a bit."

Sandy smiled, shrugging, but then suddenly a yeti burst into the room, growling something out at North.

North stood up from his seat, his eyes wide. "What?!" he gasped, "I'll be right there!"

Sandy looked up at him, forming a question mark above his head as he followed North out of his office. The man ran past his swords, hurriedly picking them up from their stand, before slinging the strap over his shoulder.

"Pitch is here! At the North Pole!" North hurriedly said, running towards the doors to the observation deck outside. "I have to get Jack inside before anything happens!"

He threw the doors open just in time to see Pitch ascend from the ground below them to meet with Jack, who was flying around him with the torrential wind he generated from the snowstorm, staff at the ready and offensive, ready to fight, but it was clear on the teen's face that his battle with Angus and the snowstorm he had been making was taking a toll on him. North growled, gritting his teeth as Sandy flew up into the air, lashing out with his golden dreamsand at the Nightmare King, who managed to dodge just moments before Sandy's whips hit him.

"Sandy!" Jack called out at the sandman, flying towards him, but Pitch blocked his way with a large black horse made of black dreamsand.

"Jack!" North called out from where he was on the ground, worry in his heart as he watched Sandy and Pitch began to duel, Pitch with his deep black dreamsand arrows and Sandy with his golden whips. Jack was trying to fight off the dreamsand mare but the winds around him were too wild, he couldn't get a clear advantage over the mare, resorting to blocking and dodging to stay safe.

Gritting his teeth, North dug deep in his memories. He still remembered everything Ombric had taught him. It was time to use what magic had learnt.

Steadying himself, North took a deep breath, before throwing a fireball at Pitch, catching the Nightmare King completely by surprise, allowing Sandy to grab hold of him with his golden whips. Jack had managed to get past the mare (for it was momentarily disoriented as its master suddenly broke their connection) and headed straight for North, barrelling into him, knocking the both of them to the ground.

"Jack!"

"North! Pitch's trying to-"

"I know, I know!" North cut him off, getting up hastily, just as Sandy slammed Pitch hard down onto the observation deck, making wood splinters fly at the force he landed. Sandy landed next to North, and the two of them cautiously approached Pitch, Jack right at their heels, staff at the ready.

"Nicholas St. North," Pitch smirked, panting slightly as he sat up, Sandy's golden dreamsand still wrapped around him. "I had no idea you were still adept at magic,"

"I was never inept at it," North replied, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at the man. "We will have to do something a little more permanent with you this time, don't you think? Just to keep you away from Jack."

"Actually, I was planning to do something to _him_ instead," Pitch grinned, and North's eyes widened-

The Nightmare King lashed out at Sandy, whose eyes widened in shock and surprise, frozen in place as Pitch dove at him, clawed hand emanating darkness and death.

* * *

... okay, I'm so sorry this wasn't as spectacular as I imagined it would be.

I'm so sorry. /sobbing

Part two will be up later this evening!


	17. Memories of Youth - Black Christmas

OKAY, SO I JUST REALLY, REALLY LIKE NORTH, OKAY.

* * *

_Cas Prompt: Imagine Pitch accidentally saying something he shouldn't. Shenanigans ensue._

Warnings: HANDSOME!YOUNG!NORTH OH MY GOD HERE HE COMES I CAN'T HANDLE MYSELF HELP I'M DYIGN, H/C SANDY MY BBY OMG /gross sobbing, JACK FEELING AWKWARD THINGS, BUKKUN FEELING AWKWARD THINGS, Tooth being totally happy with what's going on i'm cry, Bunny just going, "uh... no", ANGUS HELLO THERE AGAIN HI, Pitch being tsundere (?!) i'm cry, THANK FOR SHIPPING WITH M/V BUKKUNKUN, BASELESS CONJECTURE ON SANDY'S BACKSTORY HAHAHAHAHA, FIGHT SCENES WHOO, ANGUS WHUMPAGE, PITCH WHUMPAGE, PART TWO OF THREE. IT'S LEGIT NOW, IT'S NOW IN THREE PARTS.

* * *

Jack awoke with a start, sitting up abruptly in bed, eyes wide and wild. "Sandy!" he gasped, looking around to see an empty room. He sighed, before leaning back against the headboard of the bed. As he did, a stabbing pain shot up at the back of his skull and he winced, his hand shooting up to touch the area, just as the door opened to reveal a rather worried-looking Tooth, her violet eyes clear with concern for him as she entered. "Hey, Tooth," Jack weakly greeted as she entered, catching her attention.

"Oh, Jack!" she rushed forwards at him, pulling him into a hug. "Thank goodness you woke up!" she gushed, pulling away to look at him, running her hands all over his face to look him over. "Oh, you had us so worried, I thought something permanent happened, or, or like that time with Angus where you were out for two weeks,"

"Tooth," Jack said, holding up his hand to calm her down. "How long was I out this time?"

"Just a day, thankfully," she smiled, but it fell just as quickly as it appeared. "I can't say the same for Sandy, though."

Jack's eyes widened. "What happened to Sandy?" he demanded, making a move to get out of bed, but Tooth pushed him down back onto it, shaking her head.

"He's also out of it," she replied, "I'm not entirely sure what happened, since it was Bunnymund who called me here. I was hoping you knew." A sigh escaped her lips. "Seriously, you boys and getting into trouble. Is that a pastime or something?"

"It's my past time, definitely," Jack smirked, and a tiny blush spread across Tooth's face. "Look, I have to go see Sandy. Maybe seeing him will jog my memory." He said, getting out of bed, and this time he was met without resistance. "Where is he?"

"Come on, I'll show you," she said, leading him out the door.

* * *

Together, Tooth and Jack walked down the corridor and into a simple-looking room, where inside, Sandy hovered above the bed, the covers hanging off his body as wisps of golden dreamsand leaked from his chest. Jack's heart fell to his stomach at the sight of the sandman in such a state, and saddened, the winter spirit approached Sandy's unconscious form, a frown on his face.

"Sandy..." he murmured, studying the dreamsand leaking out of what seemed like a wound on Sandy's chest, "What happened to you?" Jack paused for a moment, and turned to address Tooth. "Tooth, where's North?"

"Bunnymund told me North went to go talk to the Man in the Moon. He didn't know exactly what happened either, but apparently Bunny got a message from North to come here. When he got here, North was already gone but that Angus boy was around and told him what he needed to know. Then he and Angus left to look for Pitch, to see if he was still in the area." She explained, hovering over to Jack's side, also looking down at Sandy with a saddened face.

Jack pulled a face. "Angus was here?"

She nodded, "But I don't think he was here to kill you." She said, "I think he was here because North asked him to come."

"Go figure," Jack rolled his eyes, and suddenly there was a knock on the door. The two Guardians immediately stood to attention, but only a familiar voice called through the door.

"_Tooth? Is Frostbite awake? He's not in bed_," Bunnymund's voice asked from the other side, as the door opened. "Maybe he got up... oh." The Pooka stopped himself in mid-sentence to see Jack and Tooth inside the room with Sandy. "Great, you're awake. Do you know what happened here, mate?"

Jack shook his head regretfully, and Bunnymund groaned, rolling his eyes. "Knew it." he sighed, sparing a glance at Sandy. "Come on, you two, let's head back to the globe room. Maybe we can figure something out."

Nodding, Jack and Tooth followed him out of the room. Jack, being the last one to exit, spared one last glance at Sandy, and frowned. Whatever happened to Sandy, he was going to make sure Pitch was going to pay for it.

* * *

Gathered together, Tooth, Bunnymund and Jack stood together in front of the globe, pondering over the current situation-everything was so strange and new; North's secrecy about the entire thing was all too new for them. The man rarely kept secrets from them, so why now? What about Pitch? How did he get here? What was he planning? What did he do to Sandy?

These questions ran through Jack's mind as he slumped down in North's great armchair by the fireplace. Worry was eating at his gut as he kept thinking. Sandy was hurt, definitely, and there was something wrong with North. Oh, North. The man he had looked up to as a father. They had even sworn on it, he remembered, and that just made the entire ordeal worse than it already was. A frown on his face, he laid back in the armchair-and suddenly he felt a tug at his hoodie. He looked up to see Phil looking down at him, with a bowl of cookie dough in his hands. Jack blinked up at the yeti, who offered the bowl to Jack.

"For me?" He asked, and Phil nodded. A small smile crossed Jack's face and nodding, he took the bowl from the yeti. "... Thanks." he said, and the yeti growled out something, before placing his paw on top of Jack's head, patting it, before walking away to tend to other affairs. Bewildered, Jack watched Phil leave, but eventually he smiled, before turning his attention to the cookie dough. "I'm not a kid, though," he murmured, taking a scoop of the dough with the spoon provided and began eating it.

Tooth was hovering around the edge of the room, discussing the event in hushed voices with her fairies, who all chattered animatedly in their tiny voices at her. She sighed at their enthusiasm, and she looked over her shoulder to see Jack eating from a bowl of cookie dough. Shock rippled through her and she made a move to pull him away from the confectionary, when Bunnymund grasped her shoulder.

"Let Frostbite eat," he smiled at her, "He's stressed out, and he's probably hungry. It'll make him feel better. I know you know that he thinks of North as his father, and he's worried, so you'll understand why he should probably have time alone."

Tooth bit her lip, but nodded, relenting. "But Bunny, what about Sandy? And North?" She asked, "What are we going to do?"

Bunnymund frowned, and shook his head. "Frankly, mate, I have no idea," he replied, sparing a glance at the control panel in front of the globe. "... Oh?"

"Bunny? What is it?"

"I don't think we have to wait long," the Pooka grinned, before taking off in the direction of the observation deck. "Wait here with Frostbite. I'll go meet up with North first."

"Ah, but Bunny-" Tooth began, but the Pooka was already too far away to hear her. Faltering, she fell back and turned her gaze back at Jack, who was staring at the spoon with cookie dough on it, a sad look on his face. Something tugged at Tooth's heart and she sighed, making her way over to Jack and lacing her fingers gently through his hair.

"Tooth?" Jack asked, looking up at her, before putting the spoon in his mouth.

"It's going to be okay, Jack." she smiled, "I'm sure North's figured out something."

Jack blinked at her for a moment, before smiling softly, looking back down at the bowl of cookie dough. "... Yeah. I'm sure he will."

* * *

"North! Mate! What's all this about, eh?" Bunnymund yelled, right as he threw the doors open, "You know it's a stupid idea to keep secrets... from... us..." Bunnymund's speech slowed in shock as his eyes fell onto the sight of North on his sleigh. "... Bloody hell."

"Indeed," the man replied, "Let's talk about this inside. Angus is taking up extra precautions on security outside, but he'll follow after us."

"How bad is it?"

"_Very_ bad, I'm afraid."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

* * *

The sound of the doors of the observation deck closing reached Tooth's ears and she pulled her hands away from Jack's (soft, snow-soft) hair, her eyes widening. "North!" she smiled brightly, quickly flying over to the door-and coming to a full stop as she saw the man.

Jack looked up from his (almost empty) bowl of cookie dough, eyes wide. "North?" he asked, getting up from where he was sitting to see the three older Guardians approach him from the corridor that had led to the observation deck. His jaw fell upon seeing the man standing in the middle between Bunnymund and Tooth.

He had pitch-black hair and the beginnings of a beard, twinkling blue eyes holding more wisdom than anyone Jack ever knew. Dressed in a familiar long, red coat and with two familiar swords hanging at his sides, he looked every bit a daring young bandit-and a certain _someone_ Jack found himself missing not more than ten minutes ago.

"Hello, Jack." The man smiled, humour only half-felt in his handsome smile. "I must have worried you."

"... Who are you?" Jack asked after a long moment, finally finding his voice after it had run away from him in pure shock. "What... what's going on?"

"It's me," the man smiled slightly, spreading his arms in a manner that seemed all too familiar to Jack. "Nicholas St. North. Adventurer, master swordsman, builder, and the Guardian of Wonder."

"... You're... North." Jack slowly said, looking at Tooth and Bunnymund, who both nodded at him, Tooth's expression hinting at barely-concealed excitement, Bunnymund's one of amusement at the shock Jack was most likely going through. "... Nicholas... St. North. Santa Claus."

"I think we've already established that, yes," the young man laughed (and _oh_, how familiar it sounded-and actually rather _handsome_... what?), shaking his head. "I know it's a bit of a shock, but we have to move with haste. Sandy's in danger, and I'd rather not stand around idly."

Even his accent was still so thickly Russian. Jack couldn't find it in himself to react, even when suddenly the temperature inside the room raised several degrees as a certain young man walked into the room.

"Solar flares at every entryway and there are fire sentries all over the place," Angus's bored voice reported, and _that_ snapped Jack out of his trance. The winter spirit's eyes widened and he turned around to see the fire spirit scowling at him. "And oh, great. Frosty the snowman's awake."

"Fros... hey!" Jack growled, making a move forward to throttle Angus, when an unfamiliar, yet so familiar hand clamped down on his shoulder. Jack looked up to see the younger North looking at him sternly, shaking his head.

"No, Jack. Not now." he said, before letting go of his shoulder and walking between the two teenagers to keep them apart. "Now, as you all know, I went to see the Man in the Moon just now to ask what we are going to do about Sandy," he said, "You know he's not like us, he was really _born_ a spirit, so his recovery isn't as easy as ours." Jack looked at him, confused slightly, but he noticed that Angus's expression darkened. Not wanting to interrupt North, Jack decided not to say anything.

"We need dreamsand for Sandy to recover." He explained, his exression grave. "Unfortunately, I don't think we have any."

Jack bit his lip. "What about Sandy, then? We can't just leave him!"

"I know!" North replied-almost _snapped_-clearly stressed out, causing Jack to be taken aback, leaning back in surprise as the young man rubbed his temples. "I know, I know. Then there's Christmas to worry about. Four weeks. There isn't a lot of time."

"There's got to be some other way, mate." Bunnymund spoke up, "Are there any spells we can use to come up with dreamsand?"

"Too difficult," North dismissed, "Not even Ombric could make dreamsand. What more if I tried?"

"Why not Pitch?" Tooth suggested, "He has dreamsand."

North's eyes widened, and the other three Guardians looked at her. Angus showed mild interest, but did not make any input.

"Remember Ombric's spell, North?" She asked, smiling slightly, "I believe, I believe...?"

"... I believe." the man repeated, taking a moment to consider her point. "Actually, I think I remember seeing something like this..." he trailed off, and suddenly ran away, much faster than the older North would. Jack blinked in surprise at how fast and able North used to be, and dazed, he stood there as Tooth and Bunnymund followed after the now-young man.

Angus stayed behind, and the makings of trouble began to brew as a grin spread across the fire spirit's face.

* * *

"North, exactly what are you lookin' for, mate?" Bunnymund asked as the two of them rifled through several books in the man's hidden library right underneath his office. All the books inside were spellbooks North had inherited from Ombric, entrusted onto him for safety, so he hid them away in the most secure of places-right underneath his office, a place devoid of shadows, where there was light everywhere, courtesy of the magic flame Angus had put inside there many, many years ago.

"_History of the Dreamsand_," North replied dismissively, tossing books left and right, "It has to be here _somewhere_," he said, "I remember putting it here."

"North, have I ever told you you were rather dashing when you were younger?" Tooth spoke up from where she was, at one side of the room, also searching for the book North was looking for. The now-young Guardian looked at her, eyebrow raised, and a blush crossed Tooth's face. "I-I just wanted to tell you," she stammered, "Only now did I notice."

North regarded her for a moment, before nodding, grinning at her handsomely. "Thank you." he replied, earning him a deeper blush blossoming on Tooth's cheeks.

"Get a room," Bunnymund jeered from where he was. "Speakin' of which, where's Frostbite and that Angus fella?"

There was an explosion overhead, and all three of them shared glances, eyes wide.

"The observation deck!" the chorused, scrambling to get out of the library, unknowingly missing the very book they were looking for, perched right between a pair of lights flickering slightly, until one of them went out. The book cast a shadow onto the ground, and a tall figure slinked out of the shadow, a grin spreading across his face.

"_Fools..._"

* * *

"I'll get you this time, Twinkle-toes!"

"Try me, Frosty! Let's see how well you do against my fire!"

There were loud explosions outside as Angus and Jack clashed violently together again, the two teenagers both bearing a form injury they had sustained fighting each other. The moment North, Tooth and Bunnymund left the two of them alone, Angus had charged at Jack, hands flaming with angry red flames, and like before, wrapping around Jack's throat. Unlike before, however, Jack was stronger-he had the advantage of being in the cold climate of the North Pole-and he simply grabbed Angus's wrists and tore the teen's hands away from his throat. Angry black burn marks in the shape of Angus's hands were on his throat, and angered, Jack pushed Angus back through the window, before diving after him, hands burning with cold ice as he grabbed at Angus's arm, searing cold, cold ice into the teen's skin, earning him a yell of pain from the fire spirit.

Now they were even. Jack, with his burns at his throat, Angus, at his arms and face.

Wind was blowing everywhere, allowing Jack to fly around, but the wind only fed to Angus's flames as the fire spirit attacked with molten fire and lava, and all the violence of heat, as Jack countered with the biting, cutting cold of ice, sharp spikes flying everywhere with every intention to wound and harm.

"Angus! Jack!" North bellowed loudly as he burst through the doors of the observation deck. "Stop this! At this instant!"

"Not until I burn this kid alive," Angus growled, keeping his eyes trained on Jack as his wings of fire blazed behind him in a show of agression.

"Not unless I cut you to ribbons first," Jack hissed back, before throwing hundreds of icicles at Angus. The fire spirit made a move to dodge, but Jack's glare sharpened and one of them careened sharply to the left, scratching deeply into Angus's arm, right across his ice-burn, earning him a scream of pain from Angus, causing the teen to fall from his high altitude.

Tooth made a move to intercept Angus's fall, but North held her back. "You'll burn," he said to her, before uttering a spell. A cold wind blew past North and he shivered slightly, before running up to the ledge and jumping forward to catch Angus as he fell. Jack saw this happen, his eyes wide with shock. Why would North do that? He'd burn!

Panic running through his mind, Jack dove after North, who managed to catch Angus in his arms, wrapping his larger self around the teen. Panicked, Jack summoned all his strength to conjure up the largest iceberg he had ever made, stretching from the valley way beneath North's workshop right to the edge of the observationn deck, wide enough to allow North to stand on it.

Jack collapsed on the top of the iceberg next to North, eyes wide and panting heavily. He had never done anything like that before, and the sudden use of energy tired him out.

He looked up at North to see him looking down at him, a slight frown on his face.

"Really, you two," he sighed, shaking his head as Angus squirmed around in his arms. "Causing so much trouble. You've gone too far, the both of you."

Both Angus and Jack looked sheepish, looking to the side. "Sorry," the said simultaneously, and they immediately glared at each other.

North rolled his eyes, before leaping back to the safety of the observation deck. Jack followed his example, as North let Angus get onto his feet. Pouting at the attention North was giving to Angus, Jack approached them-only his eyes widened to see what kind of wound he had inflicted on Angus.

The teen peeled his hand away from his wound, clicking his tongue slightly as he inspected the damage-not only was there a burn on him from the ice, but there was a deep cut, where molten lava was oozing out of it like it was his blood.

"You bleed lava?" Jack asked incredulously, and Angus scoffed at him.

"Obviously." he replied, before turning away from him. Jack glared at him and turned away from Angus as well. North sighed at the both of them, before lightly hitting their heads, earning him twin protests from the two teenagers.

"I hope the two of you are proud of yourselves. We're wasting time here keeping you two apart instead of looking for a way of saving Sandy."

"Sorry," Jack mumbled, looking off to the side, and Angus said nothing.

"Come on, we have to go-"

"Go _where_, I wonder?" Pitch's voice suddenly echoed in the area, and all of them stiffened up to attention.

"Pitch!" North called out, turning in a wide circle. "Where are you?! Show yourself!"

"I am right here," the Nightmare King smirked, rising up from North's shadow. The man's eyes widened, and quickly he moved back, shielding both Angus and Jack behind him as he raised his sword against Pitch defensively. Tooth got into an offensive stance and Bunnymund whipped out his boomerangs, but Pitch laughed at them-

And completely falling silent upon seeing North glaring at him.

"... North?" he asked, blinking in confusion. "Are you North?"

North was taken aback at Pitch's confusion. "Of course I am, can't you recognise me?"

"One would usually think time runs in a linear path," Pitch scoffed, and Bunnymund let out a laugh.

"Yeah, right. Say hello to the Pooka who can go back and forth in time." he deadpanned, moving forward. "What are you planning? What did you do to Sandy?"

"Silence, you insufferable Pooka," Pitch snapped at him, and Bunnymund's eyes widened.

"Hey, mate, look here-!"

"Nicholas St. North," Pitch slowly said, like he was tasting the man's name, slowly walking in a wide circle around them, but his eyes were directly trained on the now-young man. "... Nicholas St. North."

"Yes, that is my _name_," North hissed at him, "What do you want?"

"I never realised you were so..." Pitch trailed off, turning his face away, and a grin spread across Jack's face upon realising what the Nightmare King was about to say.

"You never realised North was so handsome?" He spoke up, smirking, and Pitch stiffened up visibly. Angus noticed this, too, and snickering, decided to join in.

"Makes you want to reconsider all those times you attacked North, doesn't it?" he taunted, riding along with Jack's teasing. The two teenagers looked at each other, and in that singular moment, they called a truce, grinning at each other. Angus nodded at Jack, who nodded back. The fire spirit lowered his flame to minimal flame, as they stepped out from behind North (surprising the man who tried protecting them from Pitch just moments ago) and laced arms-Jack's left one over Angus's shoulders and Angus's resting against the small of Jack's back, his other arm akimbo.

"You find him hot, don't you?" Jack snickered.

"Or do you find him far too cool beyond words?" Angus added, making Pitch turn to glare at them, a visible flush on the man's cheeks.

"I thought the two of you hated each other." He said simply, still somewhat maintaining posture, even though North's amused expression (_curse_ that man, how could he get more handsome with all the expressions he was making) was boring into him like drills against loose earth.

"Called a truce." Jack shrugged.

"Just this once." Angus smirked.

"Admit it," Jack grinned. "You just basically said North was hot."

"You like it." Angus winked at the man, before the two teenagers burst out laughing, leaning on each other for support in spite of the stinging sensation they were feeling where they touched.

"Clearly, there's no reason to be scared of you now!" they jeered at Pitch in unison.

Pitch glowered at the two teenagers laughing at him, before sparing a glance at North, who caught his gaze. He grinned his most handsome grin at Pitch, chuckling lightly, and that did it for the Nightmare King.

Feathers thoroughly ruffled, Pitch summoned a Fearling mare and saddled it. "Next time, I _will_ get you." he threatened, but his words sounded hollow. "Jack will be at my side and I'll extinguish your insufferable light, Angus."

"Try me," Angus smirked, flaring up, earning him a yell of protest from Jack, but he only laughed as he dimmed his flame again for Jack's comfort. "I'll be seeing you around, Pitchiner."

"I know _I_ will," North spoke up, winking at Pitch, who spluttered slightly, flustered, before without another word, rode away into the horizon.

"That was hilarious," Angus said cheerfully, detaching himself from Jack, who glared at him, gingerly rubbing his bright red arm. "I didn't think I'd have that much fun with _you_ of all people, Frosty."

"As much as that hurt, you jerk," Jack grinned, "I didn't think I'd have fun with you, too."

"Um, guys?" Bunnymund spoke up, and all of them turned their heads to look at the Pooka, who was pointing at the doorway, where whisps of golden dreamsand started streaming out onto the observation deck. "I think we have a problem."

Jack's eyes widened. "Sandy!" he gasped, before taking off into a run, everyone following suit.

* * *

HAHAAHAHAHAHAH JAILBAIT!POSE ANGUS AND JACK COMBO. IF NORTH WASN'T BEING SUCH A HANDSOME BASTARD, THAT WOULD BE WHAT PITCH WAS NOTICING.

/is killed

see you guys tomorrow for part three! ;m;


	18. Waking Up - Sanderson Mansnoozie

I'M SO SORRY FOR LATE-POSTING, BUT HAVE A SUPER-LONG FIC TO REPLACE THAT GAPING HOLE IN MY UPDATES HAHA

(ALSO IT'S RELEASED HERE NOW, BUT I'M SEEING IT ON FRIDAY)

* * *

Image person A in your OTP smiling happily because Person A noticed that Person B kept something of Person A's as a keep sake to always remember them even when they were away.

Warnings: OH MY GOD ANGUS STOP THIS MADNESS, ANGUS ANGUS ANGUS EVERYWHERE, Angus whumpage, HANDSOME!YOUNG!NORTH, MEMORIES OOH, SANDY BABY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, book savvy is a DEFINITE MUST PEOPLE, delish foe-yay, YOU GUYS ASKED FOR IT THIS IS AS CLOSE AS JACK AND ANGUS ARE GOING TO GET, and others i'm too lazy to even talk about /sob, part three of three omg

* * *

The four Guardians, Angus right at their heels, raced towards where Sandy's room was, following the tendrils of golden dreamsand floating aimlessly about. Jack was at the lead, North running right next to him, and the two burst into the room, panic in their eyes to see that the golden dreamsand trickle now a steady flow out of the wound in the man's chest.

"Sandy! No!" Jack gasped, running forward to the side of Sandy's bed as he fell to his knees, worriedly looking at the man, panicked, yet he had no idea on what to do. Desperately, he looked at North, as the man approached the unconscious sandman, a ponderous look on his face. "North," the teen said, "What do we do?"

North looked at him for a moment, before turning to look at Bunnymund, and Tooth, also with worried expressions on their faces. Angus looked mildly affected-it wasn't like as if he actually was of any close relation to Sandy.

"I have an idea," North began, "But I don't know if this is going to work," he sighed, looking down at Sandy. "Everything is experimental, and I have no idea if any of this will work, but," he drew in a deep breath, "If this doesn't work, we risk losing Sandy." He looked at the other Guardians, who all sternly nodded.

"Anything to get Sandy back," Tooth said, and Bunnymund nodded his agreement.

"What do we have to do, North?" he asked.

"Remember that Djinni I made so long ago?" he turned his attention back to Sandy, as Jack looked up at him, confused. "The one that Pitch had stolen, but I got back?"

"That one?" Bunnymund blinked, and Jack stood up from where he was kneeling.

"Hold up, what Djinni?" He asked, but North shook his head.

"Later," he dismissed, "That Djinni had an enchantment that may be the key to Sandy's recovery. For now, I need something very important from the three of you. I need something that will remind you strongly of Sandy." he said, "Anything at all. Something he gave you, I don't know." he waved his hands, "I'll get that book we were looking for," he looked at Angus, "You stay here and watch over him. Jack, come with me."

Tooth and Bunnymund immediately took off, away towards their own homes, and Jack, unsure, followed North out of the door, not without giving Angus a wary glance-he wasn't totally sure he could trust the fire spirit to guard Sandy-he had tried killing Jack, after all, what was to say he wouldn't have a go at the other Guardians (save for North)? Angus had spared a glance at him over his shoulder as Jack exited the door, and uncharacteristically nodded at him reassuringly.

He was going to take care of Sandy.

Jack blinked, as he was ushered by North out of the room. The door closed behind him, and the now-young man grasped Jack's shoulders. "Jack, you have something very important that is crucial to getting Sandy back. Remember back a few weeks back? Back when Pitch had sent you a nightmare?"

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "Sandy was there. He was the one who woke me up. He gave me a dream."

North smiled, and nodded. "Do you remember the dream?"

"Of course," Jack nodded, "It was..." a small smile spread across his face. "It was a dream about us five, and Jamie, and snow days." he sighed, but then he shook his head. "I don't understand, though. Why do you need to know about that dream?"

"That dream is special," North replied, turning away from Jack to walk towards his office, gesturing for Jack to follow him. "He gave you dreamsand, Jack. Dreamsand so powerful because it was fueled by a memory, such a beautiful, wonderful memory that it will radiate light so brightly it may supply enough energy to see to Sandy's recovery."

"But I don't have the dreamsand," Jack protested as he followed North into his office, where much to his surprise, a trapdoor lay open from the floor, previously hidden by a carpet that was rolled up to the side. "Hey, this wasn't here before," he said, as North leaped into his hidden library, spotting the book they had been looking for between a pair of lights, one flickering slightly, the book casting a shadow. He clicked his tongue. So that was how Pitch got in, past Angus's solar flares outside. He quickly grabbed the book and climbed back out to see Jack standing by the hole, getting ready to get in.

"Found it," North told him, holding the book up, before throwing it open on his desk. Quickly, the now-young man flicked through the pages, blue eyes scanning each and every page carefully, looking, searching-

"Hey, you can make black dreamsand into golden dreamsand?" Jack spoke up, also reading over North's shoulder, but the man shook his head.

"We just chased Pitch away from here," he said, chuckling slightly at the memory of Jack's and Angus's temporary truce. "And fat chance he'll help out. He tried to kill Sandy, why should he help in reviving him?" he patted Jack's head, before flicking through the book again, looking for that particular spell that had caught his eye when he was younger, just when he had first met Sandy...

"North, you never really explained what happened back then," Jack spoke up, tapping the man's shoulder, "What happened to Sandy? What happened to you?"

North looked up from the book to look at Jack, the teenager's face completely serious. He sighed, and rested his hand on the particular page he had landed on. "Alright," he said, before taking a seat, gesturing for Jack to follow him. He indicated the teen could sit on his lap, but Jack, chuckling, sat on the arm of the armchair. North gave him a quizzical look. "What's the matter? You had no qualms before about _this_ before."

"Yeah, well, you're a handsome young man now," Jack snickered, "Not exactly the best idea for me to be sitting in your lap, now is it?"

North blinked at him, confused, but Jack laughed and waved it off. "Never mind. Go on, spill. What happened to you and Sandy?"

"You remember Pitch attacking, right?" Jack nodded, and North continued, "Well, he was aiming to stab immense power into Sandy. He had summed up all his strength in that one singular attack, and that's to say something, since as you know, it was nighttime, a time when Pitch's powers are strongest. The blizzard didn't exactly help with the situation." Jack looked sheepish, and North chuckled, patting the younger Guardian's head. "I'm not blaming you for anything," he assured, "Now, there was much power in Pitch's attack, powerful enough to knock you out from a distance and even wipe your memory of what happened."

"So, I basically went out cold by just being near it?" Jack asked, frowning, and North nodded. "That sucks," Jack pulled a face, "What happened, then?"

"I intercepted the attack." North replied, "I remembered this spell Ombric, my teacher, had taught me, but he told me that I shouldn't use it, since it was potentially fatal in normal circumstances. It was an absorption spell, if I cast it I could amass so much power from a nearby source, but since really didn't have to use it, I have no control over it, so I can't exactly dictate how much energy I could intake." He looked down at his hands, now thinner and younger than before. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, however, and I had no choice but to use it. I managed to lessen the power of the attack, but somehow it still hit Sandy. At least it didn't instantly kill him, but it is still worrisome to think about what could happen now, with Sandy vulnerable like this."

Jack frowned. "What happened to the energy you nabbed? It has to go somewhere."

"Where do you think it went?" North grinned at Jack, handsome and young, a smile he hadn't smiled for such a long time. Jack chuckled, and shook his head. "I had nowhere else to put it, and I'd rather hold onto this power in case I needed it."

Jack hummed his agreement, and turned his attention back to the book. North followed his gaze, and the both of them read a line that was blaring out at them:

_REGENERATION OF DREAMSAND THROUGH MEMORIES, PART ONE._

The two looked at each other, eyes wide, and quickly, they reached for the book and North began to frantically read.

* * *

Angus floated off the ground, his bare feet not touching the polished wood (he was going to burn it in an instant if he did. Thank goodness some of North's workshop's floors were fire-protected, but these quarters were not) as behind him, his fire-wings flapped lazily, the hot air generated from them sufficient enough to keep the flame-light teen off the ground. He was absently addressing his cut he got from Jack, stitching it closed by using a particularly sharp spike-shaped flake of obsidian he had choked out from his throat (all he needed to do was drink a glass of water to make one stone) and fire-thread he nipped from the fires of his hair. Stitching the deep wound together, the lava collected in his hands, momentarily turning to indigenous rock for the brief second it cooled down on his fingers, before melting into thick lava once again, slipping through his fingers like blood. He did his best to keep the lava from touching the floor (going to measures likes curling up on himself to provide a cover for the floor-his torso) as he tugged at the string to pull skin together, wincing at the pain.

If normal human blood clotted with clots, his clots with rock as the magma cooled on his skin into rock, falling off onto the floor harmlessly. There was a steadily growing pile of indigenous rocks below Angus.

When he deemed himself done (and by done, he meant the wound was closed and the lava clotting into rock on his arm around the cut and the ice-burn) he lowered his hands and looked at Sandy, inspecting him with curious amber eyes. He eyed the golden dreamsand streaming out of the sandman's chest, and an idea formed in his head.

He turned his attention to a wisp of sand that was near him. He lifted his hands, and cautiously started heating up the dreamsand, somehow melting it and watched with glee as the melted dreamsand formed into golden glass-dreamglass.

Being particularly fond of glass, Angus was overjoyed, watching the golden lump of glass flying around the room, glowing slightly red. Mentally he willed it to move to the left, and it did as it was told. Eyebrow raising in amused approval, Angus began to play around with the dreamglass, heating it up so it was viscous and liquified, before shaping it into a firefly. He let it fly around the room amongst the streams of dreamsand, completely unaware that he was being watched by the Man in the Moon outside through the window.

Discovering a new abilty was thrilling, Angus decided, as he let the dreamglass firefly settle on his finger. Its gold-red crystalline wings beat slightly as it looked up at its creator. He should really hang around this Sandy a bit more.

He looked down at Sandy curiously, but then an idea popped into his mind. If Sandy's dreamsand could make him these lovely gold-red dreamglass fireflies (or anything of his choice, really, but he preferred fireflies, for they reminded him of his family so, so long ago), then he could only imagine what kind of dreamglass creatures he could make with Pitch's dreamsand.

Grinning ecstatically, Angus opened the window (wincing as the painful, burning sting of the cold night air hit him) and looked outside at the darkness of the night all around the workshop, which, in contrast, glowed brightly in the presence of his solar flares he kept sentry at the doorways.

He came to a decision. He was going to look for Pitch, and see what wonders he could make with the man's deep black dreamsand.

Flying out of the window (and closing it behind him, he may be fiery but he can be courteous, too), grin wide on the teen's face, he flew off into the darkness with every intention of finding Pitch Black, the King of Nightmares.

Little did he know that Pitch was already one step ahead of him, as a black tendril of darkness snuck up behind the unknowing fire spirit.

* * *

Tooth and Bunnymund returned to North's workshop with their items-Tooth, holding Jackson's baby tooth holding the memory of the dream Sandy had given to him as a child, and Bunnymund, an egg that had a rather messy design on it-Sandy's handiwork, it was his first time to paint an egg. The results had been _very_ amusing, but the memories were still clear and fond in Bunnymund's mind.

"Good, good," North nodded, taking the items from them, rushing to where Jack was, pouring his attention on one particular page of the book-_HOW TO RECOVER DREAMS FROM MEMORIES_, read the title. He was trying to figure out how to get his dream back, that particular dream Sandy had given him not too long ago. "These will do nicely," North was saying as he walked up to Jack, placing his hand on the teen's shoulder. "Have you figured out how to do it?" he asked, and Jack sighed.

"Not entirely, I still don't know how to capture the dream," he said, "I would still be asleep, and really, we can't just nab the dreamsand in a jar."

North frowned. "True, true. We'll figure something out. Let's head over to where Sandy is; maybe Angus has an idea."

The other Guardians nodded, and followed North to Sandy's room-but much to their shock, when they entered, only Sandy was inside, the only evidence of Angus's presence was the pile of indigenous rocks on the floor.

"Where's Angus?!" North gasped, rushing to the window, panicked. He threw the windows open and looked outside, desperately searching for the light he knew the teen always emitted, but he couldn't see anything. Eyes wide with panic, he turned his attention back to the other Guardians, who were also looking very much worried and confused. "I can't find him," North declared, and Jack shook his head, refusing to accept what was going on. He strode over to the window and inspected the sides of it-and saw burn marks. Angus himself had opened the window.

"That_ idiot_!" he growled, surprising North, and he climbed over the window ledge, holding onto the sides as he pulled his staff close to himself. "Hey, wind!" he yelled to the sky, and the wind grew stronger, whistling loudly in their ears. "Help me find that idiot Angus!" he ordered, before jumping out of the window, allowing the wind to carry him far into the distance. North gaped at Jack as he flew off, and beat the wall.

"Come on, we have to move! We can't let Pitch get either one of them!" he barked, rushing out the door to head to his sleigh. Bunnymund and Tooth shared a look, and they nodded at each other.

"Good luck," Bunnymund said to Tooth, and she nodded.

"You too." She replied, also climbing out the window to fly after Jack. Bunnymund raced out the bedroom, almost running into Phil, who North had ordered to watch over Sandy, on his way out.

* * *

Angus struggled against the binds on his wrist, neck, waist and legs. The tendril of darkness wrapped around his mouth wasn't helping either, and no matter how hard he tried to heat up hot enough to melt the deep black dreamsand, he couldn't, not when all around him, the temperature was so low it was close to freezing, it took up too much strength to so much as warm himself up to keep him from dying. It was black, deep pitch black all around him and he couldn't see a thing, panic creeping up his throat like bile, as his struggles for freedom steadily grew weaker as energy sapped out of his body so fast it was starting to get worrying.

Eventually flashes of terrible, terrible memories of almost-hypothermia, and the painful thought of touch that was far too painful to bear ran across his mind in loops, endless, painful, horrible loops that shook him to his core. He remembers a hand, the sensation of a touch that didn't flinch away in pain; warm, and in the midst of the biting cold darkness, like a ray of miraculous light. It was _there_, it was _supposed to be_ there. Where is it, _where is it_-

Gasping for breath, Angus's eyes flew open, the last wisps of deep black dreamsand disappearing in front of his eyes. Tear tracks of molten stone were down his cheeks, the droplets that fell off his face cooling into beautiful, luminescent gemstones of different colours, shimmering in the dim light he was emitting in the midst of darkness, falling to the ground with a dull clink. Crude diamonds, uncut opals and raw gold tumbled around his feet as he fell to his knees, shivering in fear, cold biting fear-where was that warm touch? North's warm touch, how could it have gone?

Dark chuckling floated to his ears and Angus whipped his head around to see Pitch standing nearby, a smirk on the Nightmare King's face. "Such potent fear," he spoke up, slowly circling around Angus, as the shadows around him began to move. Uneasy, Angus struggled around more in his bindings, but much to his dismay, even more tendrils wrapped around his body, pulling his raised arms further back than he could manage, and he winced at the pain it drew. "Your fear is _delicious_, my boy," he smirked, coming to a stop right in front of Angus. "Maybe if you weren't such an insufferable pest I would actually keep you as a little pet. Something nice to toy around with, what with all that pent-up fears you have stored in there, oh, how fun that would be." Pitch's smirk was widening as Angus shivered at the thought, the fear that emanated from the fiery teen exquisite in its own way. It was like an addictive spice, painful and burning with the light it radiated, yet oh so sweet and potent, much like Jack's fear, and yet so completely different.

The fears of the young were always the sweetest, Pitch mused, as he watched Angus struggle weakly in his bindings, Jack's fear was more sweet and cool, and all the shades of innocence and loneliness, whilst Angus's was more bitter, more hot and angry, more rage and regret that somehow spiced up the sweet potency of his fear's appeal.

Such sweetness. If only he could keep him; both Angus and Jack, potent and endless sources of delicious, exquisite fear.

"If you want me dead, why not do it now," Angus managed to speak up, his voice weak, yet without a quiver in his voice. "I'm not afraid of you, you know."

"That may be so," Pitch smiled, leaning in to look right into Angus's tired eyes. "But you are more than capable of scaring yourself." he grinned, patting the boy's cheek, quickly pulling his hand away from Angus. The teen's flame may have died down considerably, but he was still rather hot to the touch. "And right now, I need you alive. It seems that the Man in the Moon has shown interest in you, I wonder why _that_ is...?"

Angus glared at him with all the force he could muster. "You could tell that bloody Man to go fuck off," He spat, "The moment I interact with those bloody Guardians he shows interest in me? After 600 years? Forget it!"

"Still so fiery," Pitch smirked, "But that's not the case. You did something inside that room, Angus. What did you do?"

Angus closed his eyes, refusing to answer, as he felt for his dreamglass firefly's presence. It was near him; and he knew he had told it to stay near North's workshop. That means he was still at the North Pole. Explains the cold temperature.

"_Answer me_!" Pitch yelled at him, backhanding him, sending two tears of molten diamonds flying and instantly crystallising in the air.

Angus smirked at him, a thin line of lava running down from the corner of his lip. "Can't force a fire spirit to do something they don't want to, Pitch." He spat at Pitch, sending lava at the Nightmare King, who quickly dodged to avoid getting burned. "We're strong-willed like that."

"You and who else?" Pitch glowered at him, and Angus laughed, mockingly and yet self-depreciatingly.

"All the others like me that I killed."

* * *

Jack was annoyed out of his brains. How could Angus do something as stupid as leave, when Sandy was dying, and Pitch was after the both of them?

"Jack!" he heard Tooth calling out to him from behind. He turned his head to see her flying up to him at top speed. "Jack! Slow down!"

Jack willed for the wind to slow down, and he let Tooth catch up to him. "Angus is an idiot." He said to her the moment she caught up with him.

"Yes, yes, I know," Tooth replied dismissively, waving her hand. "But look, you have to calm down, or Pitch will get you too!"

Jack looked downwards, a frown on his face, and Tooth looked up at his face, a kind expression on hers. Gently, she took Jack's chin and lifted his head, earning her a look of surprise from the teen. "Chin up, sweety. We'll find Angus, and we'll save Sandy. We've got a plan, and we'll follow through it, okay?"

Jack nodded at her, smiling slightly-when he suddenly say a little strange-looking firefly.

"Is that... is that a firefly?" he asked, and Tooth turned around to see it flying towards them. The two Guardians looked at it, curious, and Jack allowed it to rest on his finger. It was warm to the touch, and it glowed red and gold. Blinking slightly, Jack noticed it had a light dusting of golden dreamsand inside the glass's matrix. His eyes widened. "Tooth," he spoke up, catching her attention. "Angus made this." He said, showing her the firefly. "It's made of glass."

"If Angus made that, then where did he get the sand?" she asked, and realisation dawned on Jack's face, as a grin spread across his face.

"... That idiot." he grinned, "That amazing, _stupid_ idiot."

"... Jack?"

"He used dreamsand, Tooth!" Jack grinned brightly, showing her the firefly again, "This is made of dreamsand! He must have melted it down and formed it this way. It's like he made a completely new creature altogether!"

"... Dreamglass." Tooth murmured in realisation, "He made dreamglass-Jack, do you know what means?!" she gasped, and Jack nodded, grinning brightly.

"Yeah. Angus just found out a way to save Sandy. Come on! Let's go look for him!" He looked down at the firefly. "Take us to Angus, and double-time! We've got to hurry!"

* * *

"North, mate, look over there," Bunnymund spoke up from his place at the sleigh. He was pointing at a certain clump of trees near the base of the mountain. North, eyebrow raised, turned the sleigh in its direction-and his eyes widened.

"There's a cave there, and it's the coldest spot in the mountain," he said, "Do you think that's where-Bunny! Look!" he gasped, pointing excitedly at two small figures making their way to the cave, a small light in front of them. "It's Jack! And Tooth! Let's go!"

"H-hey, wait, mate, calm down-_bloody hell!_" Bunnymund desperately clung to the sides of the sleigh as North, whooping excitedly, cracked the reins, urging the reindeer straight forward to the cave.

* * *

"Wait here for North and Bunny," Jack told Tooth the moment they reached the entrance, and the Guardian gaped at him.

"Jack, no! We have to stay together, if you go in there alone, then who knows what might happen to you there? It's real dark in there, what if that's where Pitch is?"

"Is Pitch is here, then Angus is in trouble." Jack said sternly, "And while I couldn't care less what happens to him," At this, Tooth gasped and frowned at him, but he ignored her reaction, "I'm more concerned about what will happen to Sandy if we don't save him. Now." He firmly said, "I can see the sleigh coming nearer. You guys won't be too far behind. Don't worry."

He patted her shoulder, and she looked at him, crestfallen, but he entered the cave nonetheless, completely undaunted.

"Come on, Pitch," he murmured, "Give me your best shot. I'm on my home turf."

* * *

Angus could barely open his eyes as he pulled himself up off the cold, cold ground, too drained to even breathe, his chest heaving painfully as he breathed in cold, cold air that shook his entirety through and through. He couldn't even let out a sound as Pitch's swift kick hit him right in his gut, making him cough out more lava. Rocks were strewn throughout the area, and Angus couldn't even put his head together to see how much of his lava he had already coughed out. Even the flames on his head were beginning to die out, now burning at minimal flame as he painstakingly rolled over.

He hated this. He hated the fact that he was in such a stupidly cold environment (although, he did pull the same trick on Jack, but at least that was _Jack_, this was Pitch Black, and who the bloody hell does he think he is, kicking him around like this), hated the fact that he was getting beaten up by someone he didn't even deem his enemy (for crying out loud, is it too much to ask to be able to kill Jack Frost, and only Jack Frost? _Really_), and he hated the fact that he was actually needing anyone-even Jack-to get him out of this mess.

He braced himself for another kick to his gut, but none came. He opened his eyes to see Jack standing over him, offering his hand to him. Groaning, he closed his eyes again.

"Really, all I ask for is _North_, and I get Frosty the Snowman?" he asked, and he felt Jack lightly kick his arm, before he felt Jack pick him up and support him on his shoulders.

"Man, you're really whiny, aren't you?" Jack asked him, and Angus hummed in agreement. "Whoa, you're cooled down so much I can actually touch you without feeling too hot."

"Oh, brilliant. Where'd Pitch go?" Angus asked, cracking open one of his eyes to see Jack pale considerably (like he wasn't pale already, but apparently he can go paler), his grin falling into a look of shock. "... Oh, bloody hell. Pitch wasn't around when you came, wasn't he?"

"I am now," the man laughed behind them, and suddenly Fearlings surrounded the two of them, Jack growling in frustration as he turned around slowly, surveying just how many Fearlings were there-they were surrounded. "How lovely for you to drop by, Jack."

"What do you want from Angus?" Jack demanded, glaring at the man standing behind them, supporting the fire fairy by holding up his waist. "Hey, I know about the dreamglass," he whispered to Angus, who smirked tiredly.

"Do you, now...?" he muttered in reply, "Where's my little firefly?"

"Right here. Need it?"

"Oh, do I."

Jack secretly handed Angus the little dreamsand firefly, and Pitch looked at the two teens suspiciously.

"What are you two doing?"

"Nothing much," Jack replied cheerfully, smirking. "Just, uh..."

Angus opened his mouth and the dreamglass firefly flew in. Instantly, the heat he had used to make it seeped into his body, energising him again, sending heatwaves through him, completely washing away the cold that had pierced him. Jack hissed in pain and pushed Angus away from him, who stood up straight, completely recovered, and grinned at the shocked Nightmare King.

"Just saying hi," Angus smirked, "Now, time to try out that little thing I thought of." He held out his hand, glowing with hot, bright red flames and the nearest Fearling shrieked as the black dreamsand melted and formed obsidian glass. "Oh, yes. Now that's what I'm talking about," Angus grinned, shaping the black dreamglass into a raven, molten glass glowing black and red. He willed it to charge straight at Pitch, who looked on in shock, just as North burst in, swords in the air, Bunnymund and Tooth right behind him, all armed and ready.

"You're going down, Pitch." Jack smirked, and at once, all of them sprung into action-Jack, blasting wind and ice everywhere, North's swords flying swiftly left and right, Tooth flitting around the air, Bunnymund's boomerangs hitting nearly all of the Fearlings, and Angus spreading searing fire everywhere, his obsidian dreamglass raven flying around as well, cutting enemies left and right.

Gritting his teeth, Pitch grabbed Angus's obsidian raven and gripped it so hard it shattered, sending black dreamsand everywhere, confusing the Guardians. Taking this as a distraction, he took his chance and turned away and slunk into the darkness, and soon, the Fearlings ran out, leaving four panting Guardians and a dimly-flickering fire spirit.

"Well," Angus smirked, "That had been fun."

"You have a lot of explaining to do," North sternly said, "But for now, we have to get to important business. Everyone, to the sleigh!"

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait," Angus spoke up angrily, getting out from his seat in the fireplace, where he had been recovering. "What do you mean I have to sleep with _Frosty_?"

"It's not like that!" Jack yelled at him, a blush spreading across his cheeks in embarassment and mortification. "You have to wait for me to get to sleep! You need to turn my dreamsand into dreamglass so we can use it!"

Angus looked at North, clearly disliking the situation, but the man gestured at Jack. "What he said. And, you owe us all something for that little stunt you pulled back there. Really, I ought to keep a closer eye on you."

Angus grinned sheepishly at North, before turning to look at Jack, sighing resignedly. "Well, whatever. Come on, let's get you to bed, you big baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Jack yelled at him, but Angus laughed him off, shaking his head. Grinning, the fire spirit walked over to where Jack was, pressing his now burning-hot hand to Jack's back, earning him a yelp of pain and surprise from the winter spirit.

"Let's go," he winked at Jack, who glared at him, before laughing, leading him to the boy's bedroom.

* * *

Angus floated next to Jack's bed, boredly resting his chin on his hand, as Jack looked up at him from his place in his bed.

"... So." Jack began.

"Yeah?" Angus replied.

The two of them fell silent for a long moment, before Jack let out a growl of frustration.

"We can't do it like this," he said, sitting up. "You know, being so pissed at each other. It's getting old, Angus."

"You're tellin' me," The fire spirit rolled his eyes, "What do you expect me to do? Sing you to sleep?"

Jack blinked at him. "... Actually..."

"Oh, no. No, no, no." Angus waved a finger at Jack, a tiny flame at the tip of it. "I am not singing for you. Heck, I don't even want to be with you!"

"We're doing this for Sandy!" Jack yelled back at him, hands balled into fists. "Were it not for him, you wouldn't even know you could make dreamglass! You owe him big time!"

"_I'm not hearing anyone sleeping_!" North's voice called in from outside, and the two teenagers winced, jolting slightly at the sudden call of the man. The two of them looked at each other, frowning, but then Angus shook his head and sighed.

"Okay, fine. But just this once. Lie down, Frosty. I'll get that dream for you."

"What're you going to do?" Jack asked warily, but lay down anyway.

"What does it _look_ like?" Angus snapped at him, and Jack's eyes widened to see that the fire spirit's cheeks were a shade darker than the rest of him. He was _blushing_. "I'm going to sing for you, you idiot."

"..._Oh._" Jack said, after a great length. "... Okay."

Angus blinked at him, clearly expecting Jack to laugh at him, or something of that sort, but no humiliating reaction came. Jack's welcoming acceptance totally took Angus by surprise. Clearing his throat, embarassed, Angus took a deep breath.

"_Don't cut my throat when I'm sleeping, mother dear-_"

"What the heck?!" Jack yelled, sitting up abruptly, cutting Angus off. "That was awful! Where the heck did you hear that?"

"North used to sing that to me when we were stuck in that cave together." Angus shrugged, nonchalantly. "Worked for me."

Jack groaned, and slapped his forehead. "Can't you sing something else?"

Angus frowned at him, and crossed his arms. "Sheesh, and you call _me_ the whiny one." he rolled his eyes, and lightly pushed Jack back into his bed. His touch was feather-light, to not hurt Jack, and the winter spirit found himself suprised at the amount of tenderness Angus was displaying to him. Silently, he smiled up at Angus, who pointedly kept his eyes away from Jack's.

"Okay." He nodded, settling in. "Lay it on me."

Angus sighed, but did as he was told.

"_Time to close your eyes, overlook the darkness, and try to dream tonight._"

Jack's eyes widened. He looked at Angus, who was still not looking at him, the dark shade of red still on his cheeks. A smile crossed the winter spirit's face and he settled down, rather pleased with the warm, slightly husky timbre of Angus's singing voice.

"_Not so long ago, your world was bright_," softly, and twitching ever so slightly in nervousness, Angus's fingers (flame dimmed to absolute comfortable minimum) brushed against Jack's fringe in an almost comforting gesture. "_So, take a breath and count to ten, and maybe you can dream again._" His voice swelled in a soft crescendo as his fingers grew calmer, more steady, as soon they began to aimlessly stroke Jack's snow-soft hair, "_Still dream, and all the wonder that you knew will all come flying back to you._"

At the back of his mind, Angus reminisced a familiar scene as the one he was in right now-a younger version of himself, huddled against a young man, calmly stroking his magically-protected hand through Angus's wild mop of flames. A warm feeling bubbled up in his chest as he calmed down, the flickering of his flames growing quiet as Jack's breathing began to steadily slow down.

"_If you remember all the hope you left behind, open up your heart and change your mind, oh, what you'll find if you'll still dream,_" a smile crossed Angus's face unknowingly to him, as the door creaked open a crack. North peered inside to see Angus's hand buried in Jack's hair like a warm, comforting presence that only a brother could give. A warm smile crossed his face, and he closed the door again to give them privacy, standing by the door to wait for them to finish, listening in to Angus's singing, something he hadn't heard in a very, very long time.

"_Fly away, beyond the moon, a place you've been before,_" he sang softly, leaning close to watch Jack slowly fall asleep. "_Castles made of sand, the golden shore; and every wish you've ever made is marching in a dream parade,_"

The image in Angus's head shifted and changed-now it was him and Jack, leaning against each other as they snuggled up next to each other in that cold, cold cave, Angus's flame flickering warmly in their eyes as they both calmed each other, their presence in each other's company soothing them to sleep.

"_Look, and dream again. Do you remember building bridges in the air? Every hope you had and every prayer; they're all still there, if you look. Oh, what you'll find if you dream._" Angus smiled at the image in his head, looking down at Jack, whose expression had completely relaxed. "_Time to close your eyes, but when you awake, still dream._"

Suddenly, a dolphin made of golden dreamsand drifted out from behind Jack's head, and at once, Angus backed away from Jack, hands glowing as he melted down some of the sand, encasing the golden dreamsand in a dreamglass shaped as a dolphin. Quietly, he flew over to the door and opened it to find North standing there, smiling at him.

"Your singing is still so beautiful." He commented, patting Angus's head, and the fire spirit smiled up at him sheepishly.

"Thank you. Now, let's address this matter." he said, landing on the floor and walking towards the direction of Sandy's room. Chuckling, North followed after him, just as Jack awoke from his sleep at the sound of the door closing. His eyes widened.

"Sandy," he gasped, jumping out of bed and grabbing his staff, before going out the door after North and Angus.

* * *

"Are we ready?" North asked, looking at Tooth and Bunnymund, who nodded at him. He nodded back at them, and he placed the dreamglass dolphin in Sandy's hands. "Put those with the dolphin." he ordered, and Tooth and Bunnymund did so, just as Jack burst into the room.

"Jack," Angus spoke up from where he was, floating off the ground at the corner of the room, but the winter spirit paid him no heed and went straight to Sandy's side.

"North, what are you going to do? I read in that book it that it was going to take up so much power. Where are you going to get that much power?" he demanded, "Don't tell me you're going to do something reckless."

"Nothing of the sort," North laughed, shaking his head. "Maybe this youth thing will go goodbye, but I will be fine."

"O-oh," Tooth spoke up, and all of them looked at her. "... Oh, well then. Um."

"Tooth? What is it?" Bunnymund asked her, and a blush crossed her cheeks.

"Just before you go, North, um," she awkwardly shifted around in place. The man smiled at her, shaking his head fondly, before parting his arms. She looked at him, eyes wide, but then she giggled and flew into them, pulling him into a big hug. They parted, Tooth's face flushed. "Oh, I've always wanted to do that," she giggled, and North cocked his head, raising an eyebrow.

"We can always hug even after this," he said, but Tooth shook her head.

"This is different," she winked, before gesturing at Sandy. "Now come on, let's get dear Sandy back."

The men in the room shared a look, before North shrugged. "Alright, then. Here we go!"

* * *

Sandy awoke with a start. It was a strange feeling, to be asleep, foreign and totally new, but it was not unwelcome. Blinking, he righted himself to an upright position, and looked around the room. His eyes widened to see the other four Guardians slumped down on the floor, all fast asleep. Jack and North were pressed against each other, the younger Guardian's head resting on the elder's shoulder, while Tooth had her head resting on North's other shoulder on the other side, her little fairies in her lap. Bunnymund was curled up next to Jack, where somehow, the boy's hand had fisted gently in the Pooka's warm fur. It was a heartwarming sight to see, and Sandy found himself smiling, when he felt three items in his hands.

One was a tooth, a baby tooth, in fact, and it was awfully familiar-his eyes widened in realisation. This was Jackson's baby tooth, the one that had memories of Bunnymund in it, the very one that had given Sandy one most beautiful dream he couldn't easily forget. He looked over at Tooth. She had it with her this entire time? He smiled at her, and gave her a soft, feather-light kiss on her head, sprinkling a bit more sand over her eyes.

He gave a beautiful dream, of her fellow Sisters of Flight, her mother and her father, Nicholas, Ombric, little Katherine and dear Nightlight, Bunnymund and all the other children of Santoff Klaussen, and of course, of Jack Frost and their awkward new friend Angus, and also himself. A golden hummingbird flew over her head as she slept.

Sandy then noticed the egg that he had painted so many years back, back when he and Bunnymund decided to paint eggs together with the children, and even Tooth, North and Ombric had joined in. Those were such peaceful days, he remembered, a smile crossing his face, and he sprinkled dreamsand over the sleeping Pooka's eyes.

He gave Bunnymund a dream of his old home, his old civilization, the grandeur and the beauty of the Pooka race recreated so beautifully, surrounding him with his old friends and classmates, teachers and family, and of course, his new family was there as well; Jack, North, Tooth and himself. A small rabbit made of golden dreamsand hopped around his head merrily.

Then, Sandy saw a glass dolphin, broken in two. The glass was hollow, like it stored something inside, and his gaze fell on Jack and North, both whom he was with when Pitch had attacked him. He was aware that North had intercepted the attack, somehow absorbing all that power, and he guessed that it was that very same power that North had used to revive him. Smiling slightly, Sandy patted North's head and sprinkled dreamsand over North's eyes-giving him a dream of his life at Santoff Klaussen, the happy times he had with Ombric and little Katherine and all the children, the Spirit of the Forest, and the animals, the bear and his most beloved Petrov. He made North dream of his new family as well-Tooth, himself, Bunnymund, and Jack, and made him remember that tender time he had with Angus that sealed the young spirit's loyalty to him.

He then looked at Jack. Clearly the dolphin was Jack's, but he couldn't understand what it was. He knew that Jack loved his dreamsand dolphins, but he was sure that no regular object could keep dreamsand in; yet, how were they able to revive him?

"That dolphin you had there used to have dreamsand in it," Angus spoke up from behind him, and Sandy turned around to see Angus floating off the ground at the other side of the room, five fireflies that were glowing similarly to his dreamsand flitting about around him. "These little fireflies, too. They're made of dreamglass. I made them myself."

Sandy blinked at the teen, who allowed one firefly to rest on his finger. He brought it close for Sandy to inspect, and the man looked it over-and it was true. There was golden dreamsand in the matrix of the glass. A smile crossed Sandy's face, and he looked up at Angus.

"_You are such a brilliant child,_" the dreamsand drifting around the room whispered into Angus's ear, and the fire spirit smiled at him.

"You are, actually. Were it not for you, I would never have known this," he said, "When North put all his power into that dolphin and released the dreamsand, you began to absorb every speck of dreamsand around the entire place, and then you rapidly started mending yourself. When you woke up, you blasted the sand everywhere, and, well," chuckling, Angus gestured at the sleeping Guardians. "You can see what happened. I melted the sand that went my way into dreamglass."

Sandy nodded at him, giving him a thumbs-up.

"_You have done well, my child._" sand whispered into Angus's ear, and the teen grinned at Sandy.

"They did, actually. I almost died tonight," he looked outside the window, "I poured out too much of myself into you all tonight."

"_All neccessary, I assure you,_" whispers in Angus's ear assured, "_You have a noble heart. Noble, but lonely. You starve for touch, for the love of a family you lost so long ago._"

"How do you know this much?" Angus asked, his expression darkening as he looked at Sandy, "Not even North knows enough about my past."

"_My boy, no one needed to tell me. You told me yourself. The memory in your mind mixed with Jack's as you heated up the dreamsand, putting something your own into it. Everything went into me. I know much about you now, my boy._"

Angus frowned, and turned to the open window. "... I have to go."

"_You may stay,_" whispers insisted, "_You are loved here._"

"Exactly." Angus replied, looking back at Sandy, "I need to leave before someone gets hurt. Goodbye," he said, giving Sandy a small wave as fire wings spouted from his back. The sandman held up his hand, and Angus paused to listen to what he had to say.

"_Then let me leave you with a gift,_" he said, "_Something to remember me by, since they all have something of mine._"

Sandy brought up a bit more dreamsand to Angus, who blinked at it owlishly, the five fireflies around him flitting in confusion.

"_You may use it for your dreamglass, it is all yours._"

Angus blinked, before nodding, heating up the sand offered to him, as well as the fireflies, and forming the glass into a thin ring around his neck. It glowed bright gold against his skin, warm and powerful and bright with light.

"... Thank you," he nodded, "Goodbye."

He turned and flew away, and Sandy smiled up at him.

_We shall see you again, dear child._

* * *

ANGUS AND SANDY ARE MY SERIOUS BABIES OMG I WANT TO HUG THEM BOTH UGH

/SOBBING

THIS CAME OUT TOO LONG, HAHAHA. OH WELL. HAPPY RELEASE DATE TO US!


	19. Summer Rain - Dust Bunny

MY SANDY FEELS. /SOBBING

* * *

Imagine your OTP dancing in the rain.

Notes: Human!AU. Tooth and North are happily married and they have Sandy and Jack as their kids, where in this fic, Jack's not even born yet! Haha! Aster's that sweet little olderbrother!babysitter that comes by often and is starting to slowly learn the sign language along with Sandy, since they're like, the bestest friends ever /sobbing. Sandy's only around 6 here, Aster's around 10. Everyone's extremely cautious around Sandy because he's a mute, but that doesn't stop him from having fun. In his own special way, he teaches Big Brother Aster what life is like in complete silence. It's not really as bad as he thinks.

Warnings: FLUFF AND SWEET LITTLE CHILDREN, PREGNANT!TOOTH, babies dancing in the rain, tw: disabilities, disability insecurity, babies taking care of each other, raining, DANCING IN THE RAIN, **CAS AND I ARE SEEING ROTG TOMORROW OH MY GOD I CAN'T CONTAIN MY FEELS**

* * *

It was a lovely, sunny summer afternoon-the sun was shining brightly, the wind hot and the air stiff with heat, as Sandy and Aster walked side-by-side underneath an umbrella they shared. The two boys were hand in hand, Aster leading Sandy along, as they walked merrily towards their tutor class, where they were going to learn sign language.

Aster spared at glance at Sandy. He didn't completely understand why the boy was so quiet; his mother had told him that he had some sickness and that he couldn't ever talk. Aster liked talking, it was fun and easy to talk, so he couldn't imagine what it must be like to be unable to do something as mundane as that. Best of all, though, he liked singing. If Sandy couldn't talk, what about singing? He couldn't possibly do that.

A twinge of pity tugged at Aster's heart and he squeezed Sandy's hand. The younger boy, silent and more mature than all the young children in the tutor group combined-Aster included-smiled up at him.

"Hey," Aster began, "Does it hurt? Your sickness?" Sandy blinked at him, clearly confused, and Aster gestured at his throat with the hand he was using to hold Sandy's. "This. My mum told me you were sick. I was wondering if it hurt."

Sandy blinked at him for a moment, before smiling gently and shaking his head.

"_I'm okay_," he signed, (that sign message was _easy_, Aster proudly thought to himself, he remembered _that_ one pretty well) "_It doesn't hurt._" He signed something else, but Aster couldn't understand it (not yet, he assured himself, but he'll get there) and the elder boy cocked his head. Chuckling silently, Sandy let go of Aster's hand and reached into his bag, pulling out the sketchpad he used to talk to people that didn't understand sign language.

_I was just born this way._

Aster frowned. "How come? That's not very fair. I was born okay, I can talk, why weren't you the same?"

Sandy shrugged at him, smiling helplessly.

_It's just how life is. You'll understand when you're older, _he wrote in his neat, loopy print, before showing it to the elder boy. Aster pouted at him.

"I'm older than you," he said, putting his free arm akimbo, but Sandy laughed at him silently, before writing down again.

_Much older_.

Aster blinked at his best friend. While it was true that the little boy was far more mature than he could ever be, it was still strange to know that the boy knew so much already, even at his tender age. Shaking his head fondly, Aster took Sandy's hand once again.

"Okay, if you say so," he smiled at the blonde boy, "Let's get a move on, alright? It's good to be nice and early," He grinned, and Sandy mirrored his grin, giving him a thumbs-up. Aster nodded, and began to run, pulling Sandy after him, the younger boy laughing as they ran in the warm sunshine.

* * *

"And that's the end of today's class," the teacher announced, and at once, all the children stood up, already talking amongst themselves as they packed up their things and filed out the door. Aster gathered his things together and shoved them all in his bag, before turning to see Sandy doing the same, but more carefully, packing his things delicately into his bag. Quickly, Aster got up and went over to him, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Let's go home, Sandy." He smiled at the blonde, who smiled up at him, nodding, before signing him something:_ contentment_. Aster grinned, "Contentment, right?" Sandy nodded, and Aster chuckled. "Told ya I was learnin'. Let's go!"

However, despite the very sunny morning they had, the afternoon was completely different-it was raining heavily the moment they stepped out of the building. Sandy had a disappointed look on his face-he had wanted to go over to the creek in the nearby pond, but unfortunately, now they couldn't. Smiling apologetically at him, Aster shrugged and led him on.

"Be careful on your way home!" their teacher called after them, and Aster looked over his shoulder to nod at her. "Take care of Sandy, that poor boy!"

Sandy looked over his shoulder at her, smiling weakly, before tugging at Aster's hand urgently. He wanted to leave.

Frowning slightly, Aster nodded, and together, the two of them walked away, the rain growing stronger as they walked further away. The gray-haired boy saw his best friend had a crestfallen look on his face, and he sighed. "Hey, Sandy, she was just concerned for you." he said, catching Sandy's attention, who looked up at him, eyes slightly wide in surprise. "I mean, she just doesn't want you falling sick, or somethin'."

Sandy looked up at him, a frown on his face, and suddenly let go of Aster's hand, before darting out into the rain, out of the cover of the umbrella. Aster's eyes widened, and he ran after Sandy, who headed straight for the park . "Hey! Sandy! What's wrong?" he yelled, but then he glared at the umbrella. It was holding him back, weighing him down open, so shaking his head, he closed it resolutely, before running after his best friend determinedly. He quickly caught up with the little boy, who was now just standing in the middle of the park, soaking wet, a big grin on his face as he clasped his hands behind his back, patiently waiting for Aster to catch up. Chuckling fondly, Aster unfurled the umbrella again and covered them both, even though they were both dripping wet.

"What was _that_ about, mate?" he chuckled, and Sandy sighed.

"_Everyone is so careful around me. It's because I can't talk, is it?_" he signed, looking up at Aster, his eyes clearly searching for answers. "_I know this is hard for me. And it's hard for you too, but I'm okay. I really am._"

Aster blinked at him. The little 6-year-old was speaking (well, _signing_, but the context was practically the same) with the maturity of a grown-up that had seen the world. Even _he_, the elder boy, couldn't muster enough maturity like that.

"_Contentment._" Sandy's frown melted to a sad smile, "_I'm happy just the way I am. I'm not delicate, I'm just like you. A little boy, a perfectly __**normal**__ boy._"

Aster didn't know the sign for the words _perfectly normal_, but the look in Sandy told him all he needed to know. Smiling, he nodded, gently patting Sandy's dripping hair. "I know," he gently replied, before pulling the younger boy into a hug. "I know."

Sandy smiled as he was pulled into an embrace, and when they parted, he grinned up at Aster, before offering his hand for the elder boy to take. Aster looked down at him, eyebrow raised.

"_Close the umbrella!_" he signed quickly, almost too messily for Aster to understand. The elder boy did as he was told, and the heavy summer rain showered down on them, wetting them all over again. Grinning, Sandy grabbed Aster's hands and pulled him forward. "_Let's dance_!" he signed, Aster's hands in his, and the elder boy couldn't help but smile.

"Sure thing, Sandy!" he laughed back, "I don't suppose you have an idea what we should do?"

The two friends looked at each other, grinning. Of course, they knew. They didn't have to talk about it.

Best friends didn't have to.

* * *

EXTRA:

"Sandy! Aster! Why are the two of you sopping wet?" Tooth asked, holding her bulging tummy as she scolded the two boys as they came into the house, dripping wet and covered in mud, all-smiles and hands clasped tightly together. "You could get sick! Aster, I thought you'd make sure you two stayed out of trouble!"

"Tooth," North spoke up, resting his hand heavily on her shoulder, and she turned to look at her husband, exasperated. "They're growing boys. Let them have their fun." He looked down at his son, who looked up at him, his eyes wide. Bewildered, Sandy pointed at himself, as if to ask, '_Me_?', and North nodded, laughing. "Yes, the _both_ of you. Now head off to the bathroom and go get a bath, the both of you! I can't have two sick tots, now can I?"

"No, sir, Mr. North, sir!" Aster grinned brightly, before looking down at Sandy. "Shall we?"

Sandy nodded, his smile widening, and the two boys dropped their wet bags and umbrella down, before rushing to the second floor together, laughing brightly and silently as they headed to the bathroom. Tooth and North watched them run upstairs, the both of them smiling fondly at the two energetic boys, as North wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"What'd I tell you? He's just like all the other boys." North smiled at her, "Sandy's perfectly normal. So what if he can't talk?"

Tooth chuckled fondly, shaking her head, before kissing her husband gently. She pulled away, smiling at him lovingly. "I'm still going to worry over him, though."

"As a mother should," North smiled, "Now, go lie down and take of dear little Jackson, okay?" He asked, rubbing his hand over her bump. "Rest. I'll take care of the boys."

"We haven't really decided on Jackson yet," Tooth corrected him, and North pouted at her. However, a smile spread across her face. "But, I've been reconsidering. Jackson _does_ sound like a very nice name."

A smile spread across North's face, and he nodded at her.

"That's great," he breathed, and she giggled, nodding.

"As long as we get to call him Jackie, okay?"

"Whatever you'd like, my dear."

* * *

O-oh, precious babies. ;m;

Also, there's only ONE pairing to go! (Pitch/Tooth oooooooh this is delish) And there are 4 more character-centric fics to go!

Let's do this! Whoo!

Oh, and by the way, the song that Angus was singing in the previous chapter is _Still Dream_, the ending song for RotG, written by Alexandre Desplat and performed by Renée Fleming. So, there. C:

See y'all soon!

(oh and if anyone's interested, i'm currently taking NSFW requests on Tumblr here (bk-bukkun ! tumblr ! com / ask, where all the !'s are full stops), so if you'd like, please drop a request! I'll only be accepting ANYONE/Jack (please remember this is nsfw), except for North, Tooth and Sandy. (because, uh. nsfw? not cool) So that leaves you with Pitch and Bunnymund (and if you want to troll me, sure you can toss Angus in as well, shhh don't tell cas). Ask away if you want!)


	20. Dance of a Most Unwanted Nature - Cavity

Here's the chapter we owe you guys.

* * *

_Imagine your OTP dancing together at a masquerade ball. They can both recognize each other, but it's exciting nonetheless._

Note: Cas here. This is actually a preview for the multichapter AU Bukkun and I are working on. I won't give out too much details, but it's a somewhat!AU that's _very_ book-savvy and rather confusing if you didn't read the books (for starters, I wonder how many people here know who Petrov is) but it won't be heavily reliant on the books since it's an AU. It'll still be movie-only friendly, but the expericence, in my opinion, is much more appreciated if one has read the books. On another note, the movie was _beautiful_ and Pitch... well, he leaves me feeling awkward for all the wrong reasons Bukkun finds very right.

Warnings: AU, will be elaborated on later but for now you guys will have to do with the fact it's a fantasy!regency!AU thing, book!North, book-and-movie!Toothiana, book-and-movie-and-slapped-full-of-headcanons!Pitch Black, also, masquerade balls and Tooth being such a beautiful woman I can't even, oh my god Bukkun is rubbing off on me, Jack and Katherine are children.

* * *

Slow music was playing as figures of all shapes and sizes, colours and races twirled lazily about in the wide ballroom in a lazy, relaxed dance as the masquerade ball droned on, much to the young ruler's dismay as she sat boredly on her throne. The place looked festive enough-the crystal chandelier, shimmering with light and reflecting all the colours of the rainbow was beautifully hanging high above them, suspended on a chain from the high, high ceiling; the windows-stained-glass of elegant, intricate designs of blooming flowers and forces of nature-were wide open, the cool night air drifting in as clear, black skies dotted with flickering stars held up high the full, luminous moon. It was beautiful enough, and yet, there seemed like there was nothing really going on. Tugging on her iridescent green-blue-violet mask of gemstones and feathers, the young Queen looked around for anything, absolutely _anything_ of interest, and when she found none, she sighed and slumped back in her seat.

The ball was a dreaful affair, Toothiana thought with rue in her mind as she shifted uncomfortably in her majestic marble throne, gleaming white and adorned with elegant golden tendrils written in the ancient-_dead_-language of the fairies (for really, there were only two people alive who could read the text-Ombric, that wizard mulling about at the back of the room with his pint, and that pageboy with the fiery temper and flames that could melt even the strongest metal at his touch) telling of tales of the majesty of the Sisters of Flight and their efforts to create a beautiful world; _their_ beautiful world, the world she was supposed to have domain over. Looking at the empty throne next to her, Toothiana glumly thought about her parents, absently tracing the golden tendril-text (so fine and so skillfully crafted, those fire fairies were such master craftsmen) of her father's throne, once warm with the presence of that wonderful, brilliant man that she had called her father; now cold and lifeless, and searching for the new one that would take her father's place.

Of course, Toothiana refused to accept that fact. She could rule perfectly fine by herself; her mother had taught her to fight, to fly strong and true, and to never back down from any enemy; whilst her father had taught her how to lead, to rule with both an iron fist and a feather-light touch, to rule with firmness and delicacy a true leader should have. She was more than capable than all the men in that wretched Council of Ages could be, how was some silly little law stopping her from stepping up to her rightful place-in the throne of her father, leading the oldest, most majestic race that had ever lived and breathed on this beautiful green Earth her ancestors had made so long ago?

"My Queen," a voice spoke up next to her, and she turned her head quickly, the sparkling iridescent gemstones of her dangling earrings swaying to and fro as her head moved, shining beautiful little rainbows of refracted light. She saw Bunnymund standing by her throne, a furry paw placed by his mouth to whisper in his Queen-to-be's ear. "The little ones are not in their beds," he hissed, and Toothiana allowed herself a small smile. News of the two human children she had in her care always put a smile on her face, and she shook her head gently, patting Bunnymund's shoulder.

"Oh, leave them be," she chuckled, "Jack and Katherine both need to learn from the world, should they want to enhance their magic. As one of their teachers, you should know that, of all things, Bunnymund," she grinned at her old friend, and the Pooka frowned, shaking his head.

"Oh, it is _far_ past their bed time," he reasoned, "They have to be well-rested if they want to continue their lessons with efficiency tomorrow."

"Bunnymund, my friend," she sighed, "It is my birthday," here, she cupped her hand over the side her mouth and stuck her tongue out, pulling a most delicate face of disgust, and Bunnymund laughed lightly at her antics. She righted her expression, now smiling beautifully elegantly, before nodding, "Let the children have their fun. Speaking of which, please, Bunnymund," she dropped her tone low and leaned close to the Pooka. "_Help me get out of here! I am going to _die_ from boredom sitting here!_"

Bunnymund laughed behind his paw, leaning back to look at his Queen, looking up at him desperately with her round, violet eyes, her deep green-and-blue feathers puffing up slightly to emphasize her exasperation, her translucent wings ruffling slightly to add to the emphasis. The Pooka shook his head, and Toothiana's expression fell. "I am sorry, my Queen, but even I cannot help you," he sighed, "If you'd like, though, I'll gladly search for a handsome young companion for you?"

"Bunnymund," Toothiana frowned at him, shaking her head, "You know I am in no need of a man," she said, but Bunnymund laughed her off, waving his paw at her.

"Every woman needs a man. I will be back," he said, before leaving. Toothiana pouted and crossed her arms, huffing. She _didn't _need a man. She was more than capable of handling even the most taxing of affairs on her own.

"Your Highness," a man spoke up in front of her, and she turned her head to see a man, completely dressed in black, collar, arm cuffs and belt accented with golden bands, bowed down to her, one of his arms outstretched. "Good evening." he greeted, straightening up to show her his mask-a sleek, jet-black one moulded to the shape of his face, one side completely black, while the other had golden tendrils twining this way and that, giving the image of rolling waves. "If I may, may I have a dance, my Queen?"

Toothiana didn't need for the man's mask to be off for her to recognise him. The sound of his voice and the man's mere presence was enough to tell her who it was-the Grand Councilman Pitch Black, the head of the Council of Ages; he was a creature of darkness, made of shadows and the death of a man, but his tactics and strict actions earned him his place in the Council. He steadily rose to Grand Councilman with his wits and intelligence, in spite of his young age-just a little older than Toothiana was.

She spared a glance over to the side, where Bunnymund stood, watching them carefully, and the Pooka gestured at her to accept the man. It was almost blasphemous to reject him, so, reluctantly, Toothiana nodded, putting her small hand in his larger ones, and allowing him to lead her to the ballroom floor, where the dancers-spirits and creatures alike-parted ways to allow the young royal and the young councilman to enter the middle part, all dancing halting to allow the Queen the limelight. (The whispers were all over the place. Toothiana inwardly groaned. Oh, now the nobles will _talk_.)

They stood together, their hands in each other's, Toothiana's other one on Pitch's shoulder, and Pitch's on her waist, as the band conductor hurriedly scrabbled for a certain piece that would be of a most beautiful dance-the waltz. (The waltz had come from the Sisters of Flight, of course, only introduced to the humans when they were deemed civilized enough to so much as socially interact in a controlled environment like a ball.)

They began to dance together the moment the song began to play, elegantly circling the room, their steps matching well without fail, as Toothiana withered slightly at the intense stare Pitch had on her as they danced.

"You're a beautiful dancer," the man murmured, as he spun her, when his mouth was near her ear. "I find you spectacular."

"Thank you," she replied, fighting to keep her tone even as a chill ran down her spine. This was getting uncomfortable for her, as her violet eyes, slightly wild with mild panic as she searched for Bunnymund-or _anyone_, really-to pull her out of this mess with Pitch, met Pitch's cold yellow ones, burning cold fire as he stared right at her, like he was dissecting her underneath the intensity of his gaze. They returned to their original position, and the steps started all over again, this time, the other beings had decided to join in with them. "C-Councilman Black." she stammered, and inwardly she berated herself-she was not to show weakness to Pitch Black! She should be ashamed of herself; her mother would be _turning in her grave_ if she saw her now!

"Please, for now, call me Pitch, my Queen," Pitch chuckled, his hand gently caressing her side, and Toothiana sharply inhaled at the unwanted gesture, inching away from the man's hand by a fraction of an inch. Pitch's grin (more of a leer, really, if you were to ask Toothiana about it, but she decided not to be rude) widened and he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Tell me, my Queen, have you ever started thinking about marriage?"

"Ma-marriage," Toothiana stated, fighting the urge to pull away-and possibly take a shower, or three, just to wash away the feeling of the man's hand on her waist-and forcing herself to keep calm. "I haven't. No, never, no sir."

Pitch's grin was outright _wide_ now, the shadow-man's slightly sharpened teeth gleaming at her (and she tried, _oh_, how she tried to not stare at the pearly whites) as he pulled back, lifting his hand from her waist to caress her cheek. "Oh, you must. You absolutely must," he said, running the backs of his fingers down her smooth cheek, "You are a very beautiful woman. You desere a husband."

"In time," Toothiana hurriedly said, finally giving up on all propriety and pulling right away from the man, clearly perturbed. "In, in time." she said, "Thank you for that pleasant dance, Councilman Black. I think the other ladies would like your attention...?"

Of course, the both of them knew there were no other ladies vying for his attention (he was frightening, and _dark_, and altogether menacing and difficult to approach) but Pitch nodded, bowing to her again.

"Of course, milady," he said, taking her hand and kissing it, grinning at the half-suppressed shudder that ran through Toothiana's body. "I shall see you again soon."

"Y-yes, again. Soon. Goodbye." She vaguely replied, before turning away to the safety of Bunnymund's company to calm herself down, and possibly to complain and dry-wretch at the cold, dark feeling of the man with her. Pitch watched her leave, a smirk on his face.

Soon, maybe. He will have her, and this kingdom will be _his_.

* * *

Unbeknownst to many, there was a young man dressed in stunning red-his clothes were deep, royal red; looking similar to a military costume as several glittering medals adorned his chest. A deep black belt was around his narrow waist, where a beautiful, golden-handled sword hung in its scabbard, lightly tapping against his toned legs, clothed in fine black silk pants. His knee-high leather boots, perfect for riding horses, were polished to a gleaming shine, painstakingly shined by the two children pushing him along the corridor. They were giggling as he pushed him along, his protests falling on deaf ears as they led him to the doors of the ballroom.

"Katherine! Jack! Stop this, right now! I don't need to be here!" Nicholas St. North protested, trying to stand aside from the almost-teenagers, but they kept barreling him on. "You two!"

"Oh, cool it," Jack laughed, pulling out a black velvet mask from his sidebag. "Here, put this on. It's a masquerade ball." He grinned, "The food's nice there, and everything. You'll have a good time, might as well enjoy it." he winked up at North, who looked down at him, slightly worried.

"Yes, but I'm a human. They're going to notice."

"They won't," Katherine assured him, "There are plenty of other spirits there that look human. You'll fit right in; and besides, it's a masquerade ball. No one will really see you."

North looked at the two children, grinning up at him brightly. He sighed, rubbing his forehead, before finally nodding, taking the mask from Jack's hands. "Fine. I'll be in there for one hour. And one hour only, okay?"

"That's plenty of time," the two children chorused, grinning.

North eyed the two suspiciously, but shook his head, before entering through the door.

* * *

It was safe to say that the very handsome stranger that suddenly walked into the room stole the limelight very shortly after Toothiana's dance with Pitch. He was young, and handsome, with a charming grin underneath a deep red-and-black mask that brought out brilliant blue eyes. Tall, dark and handsome, and very, _very_ mysterious, he caught the attention of all the women in the room-the sprites, the young pretty half-giants, the witches and all the other creatures turned their heads as the young man walked into the room, all confidence and cool air, a half-smirk, half-grin on his face making him all the more handsome as he strode.

Murmurs of excitement filled the air as women flocked to him, and the man, laughing with all the charm in the world, laced like delicious, sweet poison with his deep voice, made all of them fall for him, head over heels.

Toothiana was mildly interested about what all the commotion was for, as she stood next to Bunnymund, who was scowling at the unladylike behaviour all the spirits were exhibiting (but not his Queen, no sir, he thought with relief, but it rather piqued his curiosity-who was _this_ handsome young stranger that suddenly walked in?).

"Honestly, throw in a pretty face and all the fish swim to it like metal to magnets," Bunnymund shook his head. "My Queen, I think it's best you return to the throne if you want to see this farce go on at a better view."

"Well suggested," Toothiana chuckled, walking with him to her throne. When she sat down, her eyes widened slightly to see that the young man was looking right at her, piercing ice-blue eyes staring right into her surprised violet. "... Oh," she simply said, and Bunnymund looked at the young man, and then at Toothiana, who was staring right back at the man. A grin spread across the Pooka's face.

"Is that interest I smell?" he asked, chuckling, and Toothiana rolled her eyes.

"Oh, go away, Bunnymund," she told him, "Don't pester me with that kind of talk again. How many times must I tell you that I don't need a man?"

Bunnymund only grinned at her, but did as his Queen ordered him to. Toothiana watched him leave, a pout on her face, before she turned to look at where the young man was-only to find he wasn't there anymore. She blinked, confused, but then she heard the hushed, excited mutters of the ladies grow louder and her eyes widened to realise that the man had come closer to her-actually, he was coming straight to her.

A blush crossed Toothiana's cheeks and her heartbeat quickened. What was she to do? She had no idea what to do!

The man approached her throne, still smiling that alluring smile, before bowing deeply to her, just like Pitch had done not long ago.

"Hello there, dear Queen," he greeted, and Toothiana swore she saw the ladies around him melt at the sound of his husky, velvet voice. "May I have the honours of having a dance with your lovely self?" he asked, offering her his black-leather-gloved hand for her to take.

Toothiana had to admit that the young man currently bowing in front of her was in some way, handsome, as he straightened up again, smiling a little handsome smile below the dark red-and-black mask he had on, matching the deep blood red coat he was wearing. Eyebrow raised with curiosity, she put her hand in the man's outstretched one, and allowed his fingers to wrap around her smaller hand.

"You may have this dance," she said to him, and the man's grin widened. Oh, he _was_ handsome. Toothiana began to regret ever letting this man as so much as approach her line of vision.

"I am delighted, my lady," he replied, nodding his head once, and there, Toothiana smelt it-the scent of a liar, but she kept silent and allowed him to lead her to the ballroom floor, where around them some of the nobles cleared out of the way, curious gazes on them as they made their way to the centre of the space, some other couples taking their places around them. "I am assured that you are a most beautiful dancer," he said, his voice rich and smooth, and so very seductive, and Toothiana found it difficult to concentrate on the scent of a liar spilling out like sweet poison from the man's lips. His hands smoothed over her waist and she found herself lightheaded as his scent filled her senses-sweet, and yet dark, strong and yet sophisticated. She knew she made an excellent choice in her dance partner, but the odd scent of his lies (why would he be lying in the first place, she wondered,) was midly distracting and the music began playing.

They began to circle in a wide loop around the area, their steps perfectly in time to the music in the background, and Toothiana found that she was actually enjoying herself.

"If I may, good sir," she managed to say, shocked slightly at the revelation as she scrambled mentally to find her voice, her wings behind her back fluttering in both embarrassment and swoon over the man's overwhelmingly charming aura, "What may your name be?"

"Me?" he chuckled, and Toothiana swore she needed to get away from him, fast. "My name is Nicholas."

* * *

Imagery is the best sense of finery, I say. This is the last pairing on the list! We still have to write three more character-centric fics (mainly, North (I have dibs on this one, since Bukkun didn't let me write for Sandy), Bunnymund and Pitch) so this will still update, and if Bukkun feels like it (or if _I_ feel like it) we'll update a more stuff of repeat pairings.

Also, please tell us what you think of this AU. This one'll be a multichapter fic, if it ever comes to light.

And, regarding Angus's foe yay with Jack... I hope you guys know I'd rather not have him shipped. He's my precious baby. No.

Until next time.

(bukkun: ignore him ship angus with anyone go right ahead screw cas's opinions do what you want guys also hi)


	21. The Sweetest (Miss) Tooth - EABunnymund

Soooo. Avoiding work and not studying for exams. Well done, Bukkun.

* * *

_Imagine your OTP having a baking day._

Notes: That gay AU I did a while ago where North and Tooth are happily married with Jack and Sandy as their kids and Aster is that nice teenage boy that comes around often oh come on you guys y'all know this shindig already. Here, Aster wants to give something to Miss Tooth for her birthday. So, he comes over to their place when she's still at the university doing teacher-y shit idk and tries to make a cake with Sandy and Jack. Jack isn't being very helpful. North's there too and **MOTHERFUCKING **_**UNCLE PITCH**_ because I said so and I like Pitch a lot shut up don't judge me. Also, KOZMOTIS BECAUSE I CAN OH MY GOD WAIT FEELS WAIT (also whoa two pitches at the same time i can't handle this shit hahaha). So. Tooth comes home to a rather... unusual surprise. (Ages: North and Pitch remain unspecified because i said so shhhh, Jack = 16, Aster = 27, Sandy = 23, Kozmotis = 27) ALSO! Aster and Jack are in a relationship, but they haven't told North _or_ Tooth because Jack's still a minor, and they have such a huge age gap. They're both scared about what's going to happen if they said anything, but we all know how that went, didn't we? HOHOHO.

Warnings: Boys with cooking utensils, boys being sweet, boys day out (how), North is an awesome dad, Sandy and Jack and Aster being cuties i'm cry, human!nice!pitch omg, human name usage like whoa, book-savvy might be needed, FLUFFY AS FUCK BL, THANK YOU FOR SHIPPING WITH M/V BUKKUNKUN, TOOTH I AM SORRY FOR ALL THE SUGAR THAT WILL TAKE PLACE SORRY SO SORRY (fun fact: tooth was the first Guardian I ever believed in when I was a kid herpaderp), trying-so-hard-not-to-show-affection!JackRabbit, slightly pedo Uncle Pitch (and for viewers' sake, let's pretend they kept Kozmotis a secret from pitch so they won't appear at the same time in one scene thank), Super!Sweet-to-each-other-it's-grossing-them-all-out!Pitch/Sandy

also whoa this is long what

* * *

"Hey, mate. Isn't it your mom's birthday on Friday?" Aster asked, putting down the cup he was wiping dry to look at Jack, who shrugged at him.

"Yeah, so?" he asked, "We're going to do what we do every year. Eat dinner together."

"What? No cake? No celebration?" Aster blinked. "Somehow it doesn't seem the same way as I remembered it when I used to come over."

"Well, when you went off to college," Jack grinned, "They decided that, well, we weren't exactly kids anymore—don't give me that look! I'm an adult, Aster!" he spluttered when the elder man gave him a flat look, pouting at his boyfriend.

"Jack, you were only seven when I went to college." Aster deadpanned, and Jack hit him upside the head. "Ow!"

"That's not the point!" Jack yelled at him, before turning his attention back to the drink he was making for Kozmotis and Sandy, still pouting. "Anyway, we don't have cake anymore during Mom's birthday; we have Dad's stroganoff and all the other stuff he could make. No sweets though."

Aster chuckled and hugged Jack from behind. "You upset, snow bunny?" he asked sweetly, planting a soft kiss on Jack's cheek. The teen stumbled away, a blush bright on his cheeks, and Aster laughed out loud at him.

"Aster! We're in public!"

"What? It's a free country," Aster reasoned, but Jack rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, and you'll get arrested for inappropriately touching a minor."

"Hey, now listen here, mate," Aster began to say, his tone turning scolding, but Jack leant forward and planted a little kiss on his lips. He stood there, blinking at the teen, who grinned and winked at him.

"Gotcha," he snickered, and a grin spread across Aster's face, before he charged forward and pulled Jack into his arms, enveloping him fully and furiously attacking him with tickles along Jack's ticklish sides. The silver-haired teen let out bright peals of laughter as he squirmed around in Aster's arms, but then they were both interrupted by the bell on the counter ringing. They immediately pulled apart to see Kozmotis grinning at them behind his hand.

"_Sandy says you two are screwing up his concentration by being too noisy,_" he signed at them, grinning, and Jack rolled his eyes, chuckling slightly.

Jack laughed, shaking his head. "_Sucks to be him_," he signed to Kozmotis, making his way over to Sandy's and Kozmotis' drinks (they were both having espressos. Jack had drawn delicate swirls on the foam at the surface for each of them to mimic that Dreamsand thing that Kozmotis was so enamoured about in his brother's novel) and placing them on a tray. "_Head back to your spot. I'll get this to you guys._"

Kozmotis nodded his thanks and went back to his place next to Sandy, who was playfully glaring at his brother over the screen of his laptop. Jack stuck his tongue out at him, and Sandy did the same. Aster laughed fondly and followed Jack to the table, letting his boyfriend serve the drinks first before taking the tray from him.

"I have an idea," he spoke up, catching Sandy's and Jack's attention, and when Kozmotis looked up from the laptop screen, confused, Sandy signed what Aster had said to him. The man nodded, and looked up at Aster for him to go on. The gray-haired man nodded, and continued, "Why not let's get together at your place and let's make something for Miss Tooth on Friday?" he asked, as Sandy signed it to Kozmotis, faltering at the mention of his mother's name.

"_You want to make something for Mom on her birthday? But the only things you know how to cook are instant noodles and diabetes-inducing cakes._" Sandy signed, and Kozmotis laughed silently at what he said.

"_Ever the sass. It seems fun,_" he signed, "_I like your mother, she's a very nice woman. I don't see what's wrong with making her a nice cake for her birthday_."

"Koz, you have_ no idea_," Jack laughed, signing it for the man's understanding. "She hates even the idea of sweets."

"_But your father likes them_." Kozmotis replied, clearly confused, but Sandy shook his head, patting his hand.

"_Dental health junkie_." he grinned, and at once, Kozmotis nodded slowly in complete understanding.

"_I used to know someone like that._" he signed, shivering slightly, and Aster grinned.

"There's a catch, though, you guys don't have to be so hung over on the fact we're making a cake." he said, "I learnt this new recipe from my neighbour. Egg pie."

"Oh, _God_. No more eggs, "Jack groaned, leaning his head against the wall dramatically, and Kozmotis looked at his boyfriend, eyebrow raised.

"_Aster loves eggs. And carrots._" Sandy grinned as he signed the message. "_And get this, his name's..._" Sandy pulled his laptop close and typed down Aster's full name, _E. Aster Bunnymund_.

Kozmotis had never laughed so hard in his entire life, earning him a spot in Aster's hit list, but he was perfectly gung-ho about the entire idea, and soon they came to an agreement to take that Friday off and gather at the St. North residence to tear the kitchen apart.

* * *

Friday came soon enough, and Jack opened the door at ten in the morning to see Aster grinning at him in the hallway, a notebook in his hands and a plastic bag of baking supplies slung around his arm. "Hey, snow bunny," he grinned, leaning forward for a kiss—but Jack stopped him with a finger to his lips.

"Dad's at home," he hissed at his boyfriend, and Aster's eyes widened.

"No shit, mate."

"Not a single shit," Jack replied glumly. "Totally not shitting you. Sorry, Aster."

"It's okay." the man smiled at him, sighing in disappointment, and stepped inside. "Where's Sandy?"

"Went to meet up with Koz at the park. They had to go there for '_writing inspiration_', they said," he punctuated his words with quotation marks in the air, rolling his eyes, but he had a small grin on his face. "Since we totally screwed with their 'brainstorming' the other day, but seriously, if you ask me, they just went there so they could exchange spit." he snickered, closing the door behind Aster. "They'll be here in around fifteen minutes."

"_Jack_!" North's voice called from upstairs, and Aster flinched slightly. Ah, yes. North's voice was... strong, as always. "_Was that Aster?_"

"Yes, dad!" Jack called back up, and he looked at Aster. "Sorry. We had to tell him, since, you know, we're going to tear the kitchen apart, and well, he took today off and, well, he _insisted_..."

"Aster!" North smiled brightly, coming down from the second floor, his arms spread wide as he grinned brightly at the gray-haired man. "How's our delightful Mr. Pro Boxer?" he asked, hugging Aster tightly. Over North's shoulder, Aster and Jack exchanged uneasy glances.

"I-I'm okay, Mr. North," he choked out in North's tight hug. The man laughed and pulled away, grinning at Aster. "A-and I'm not a pro boxer. Yet."

"Yet!" North grinned at him, patting his shoulder. "You will be, though! I have the utmost faith in you!"

Aster warmed up and smiled slightly, and from over North's shoulder he saw Jack smiling at the two of them gently, and Aster couldn't help the happy warmth that spread in his chest.

"So!" North spoke up, alarming the two young lovers in the room, the man grinning brightly at Aster. "What're we making for my darling Tooth?" he asked, and Aster held up his notebook.

"Egg tarts and egg pie." He declared proudly. "Oh, and carrot cake. Since you guys wanted cake so much."

Father and son exchanged glances.

"... What?" Aster asked, blinking, and North and Jack burst out laughing.

"You like Easter a little too much, I think, Aster," North managed between his guffaws, and Jack was bending over the couch's backrest (and here Aster pointedly kept his gaze away from the boy's rather _fine_ behind), laughing too hard it was getting worrisome.

"Yup!" he managed to yell in the end. "Easter Kangaroo!" he laughed, rolling over the backrest and onto the couch, still giggling brightly. Aster gaped at what Jack said, and scowling, he dove at his boyfriend and began to viciously tickle him.

"Take that back, Frostbite!" he yelled, and Jack's delighted peals of laughter only grew. North smiled to himself as he watched the two boys wrestle on the couch.

_It looked like Tooth was right about them. They do seem a little _too_ close..._

* * *

Kozmotis and Sandy arrived twenty minutes later, when Jack and Aster had settled on the couch, and North in the kitchen, getting the oven ready. Jack looked up from his spot curled up next to Aster to see his brother and his boyfriend walk in, and a smirk cross his face when he saw the slight flush the both of them had on their cheeks.

"Ha! So you two _have_ been exchanging spit!" He laughed loudly, alarming Sandy, Kozmotis's surprise following suit when the blonde stiffened up next to him. "It's written all over your faces!"

Sandy stomped his foot, flustered. "_Shut up, Jack!_" he signed, Kozmotis laughing weakly by his side, just as North walked into the room.

"Ah! Sandy! Kozmotis!" he smiled brightly, walking up to them, and giving the both of them a bone-crushing hug. "Finally! Let's get started." he grinned, and Kozmotis smiled back at him, having read his lips to understand what he was saying. The two of them began to take their coats off, when North chuckled conspiratorially, and winked at Aster and Jack. "And wipe your mouths, the both of you! You've still got spit on them!"

Sandy's eyes widened, his blush growing darker in embarrassed mortification, and Kozmotis blinked, confused as to what North had said. Aster grinned at him and pointed at his mouth, before making a wiping gesture across it.

The message got across and Kozmotis blushed just as dark as Sandy.

"Get moving, boys! We've got to get ready before Tooth gets home!" North grinned. "Aster! You lead. What do we have to do first?"

Aster grinned.

"Get some eggs." he said, "Lots and lots of beautiful, beautiful eggs."

* * *

"You've got some batter on your cheek, mate." Aster spoke up, moving over to Jack's side and wiping off the creamy substance on the boy's face. "And put some back into that mixing; we need that carrot cake nice and fluffy if it's going to be delicious."

"Yes, sir." Jack rolled his eyes, grinning, and Aster stole a glance in North's direction—the man was currently busy assisting Kozmotis decipher their out-of-this-world oven. A small grin on his face, he stole a quick kiss from the boy's lips. "Hey, now," Jack laughed quietly, leaning in towards Aster for the man to hear him. "Stop stealing treats." He winked, and the taller man laughed.

"Who says I'm stealing anything?" he murmured back, before pulling away just in time as North turned around, holding the bowl of pie filling in his hands. "Mr. North! I think that filling's a wee bit unmixed."

"You think?" the man asked, clearly perplexed. "I haven't made anything like this before, you know. It was always _pavlova_, or _pirozhki_,"

"_Dad_," Jack spoke up, and the man jolted slightly in surprise. Jack grinned at him and gestured at the cupboard above him. "Whisk's up there."

"But that one's the one that's hard to use!" North complained, "… In hindsight, though, your mother bought that specially to keep me away from making sweets." He sighed, but reached up to the cupboard anyway. "Can't we switch?"

"Nope, no way." Jack grinned, "Delicate little snowflake here._ I'm_ using Aster's awesome whisk."

North laughed at his son's antics and ruffled Jack's hair, earning him a bright laugh from the teenager. "You're getting more like your mother every day." He fondly said, before turning away to work on the bowl of filling in his hands. Aster made his way over to where Sandy was, mixing up filling for the egg pie.

"Hey, Sandy. Yours looks good." He commented, and his best friend beamed at him, giving him a thumbs-up.

"_Kozmotis apparently used to work at an orphanage and the owner loved baking. He taught me how to do this._" He signed, grinning at Kozmotis's direction. The man had his back turned to them; however, as he peered into the oven with a perplexed look on his face, watching the pie crust slowly cook inside. "_He's amazing, really. He knows so many things_."

The blissful look on Sandy's face as he signed to Aster was, well, heart-warming to say the least. A small smile crossed his face and he patted Sandy's shoulder.

"You seem really happy with him."

"_Oh, am I._" Sandy grinned. "_I've never been so glad of Jack's insane ideas._"

"Hey! I saw that!" the teen in question yelled from across the room, and the two laughed, waving him off.

"Best friend conversation, mate!" Aster grinned at his boyfriend. "Stay out of this, frostbite!"

Jack pouted at them and stuck his tongue out at them, but stayed out of their conversation, picking up his bowl and bringing it with him as he went to his father's side to have a chat with him.

Aster grinned at Sandy, as Kozmotis approached them, grinning as he held up the finished crusts. "Oh, hey." Aster smiled at him, giving him a thumbs-up. Kozmotis nodded at him and put them down, before pulling his oven mittens off.

"_Come on, let me have the filling_." He signed, gesturing at the bowl Sandy had with him. "_Let's get this done with. Where's Mr. North's share?_"

Aster pointed at North, who was laughing brightly at something Jack had said to him. The man looked over his shoulder at them, and grinned brightly. "Here, I'm done with mine; Aster—control that little _snezhinka_, honestly," he laughed, "Sex with a bunny? Hilarious!"

Aster's eyes widened and he looked at Jack, who shrugged helplessly, mouthing to him; '_sorry!_' and he exchanged glances with Kozmotis and Sandy, who were just as tense as he was.

"Y-yeah, hilarious." Aster nodded, before sending a glare at Jack over North's shoulder, the teen withering slightly under his glare. "Sandy, sort this out. I'll just… _rat out that bloody snowflake_," he hissed under his breath, just loud enough for his best friend to hear as he gestured at Jack vaguely. Sandy silently laughed, covering his mouth, and Kozmotis looked on, slightly confused, not hearing a thing.

"_Come on, Kozmotis. Let's load this thing._" He signed at his boyfriend, and Kozmotis shrugged. Questions can wait, apparently.

Sandy took the filling from his father's hands and handed it to Kozmotis—but not without pecking him on the cheek for his effort to understand what was going on despite his deafness.

"Get a room!" Jack yelled from his spot at the other side of the room, where he was pouring in the batter for the carrot cake in a pan to bake alongside the pie. "Aster, a little help here?"

The gray-haired man went over to Jack's side and roughly elbowed his side.

"Keep it down about us, would you?" he hissed at Jack, helping the teen pour in the batter carefully. "We still don't know how they're going to react when we tell them."

"I know, I know," Jack sighed, "I just wanted to, you know, try asking hypothetical questions." He looked up at Aster, a small puppy-dog pout on his lips, and the man sighed, running his hand down his face.

"Stop looking at me like that, Jack." He grumbled. "Look, what if he put two and two together? Then what?"

Jack bit his lip, and Aster sighed. "Look, just… just let these things of ours lie low for now, okay? We'll break it to them when you're legal."

"It's not fair, though." Jack mumbled. "How big our age gap is."

"Hey, hey, listen." Aster smiled, gently pinching Jack's cheek lightly. "Age doesn't matter, okay? At least between us. And that's what matters, alright, snow bunny?"

Jack smiled up at him, sighing, fondly shaking his head.

"You're the best." He softly said, and he jolted when North called out his name.

"Jack! The carrot cake!" his father called out, and Jack turned around abruptly in surprise, the leftover batter in the bowl sloshing around slightly, some of the dough spilling from the rim and onto his hands, a few droplets splashing slightly onto his chin and cheeks. "Oh, Jack!" North sighed, walking over to his son. "A mess you've made,"

"Sorry," Jack shrugged, blushing slightly, gesturing at the pan that had the batter for the cake in it. "Here's the pan. I'll go get cleaned up." He declared, as North took the pan.

"I'll go with him." Aster suddenly spoke up, and the other people in the room, save for Kozmotis, who was blissfully unaware of the awkward situation that arose. The man was loading the tray with the tarts on it into the oven. "Uh, I mean," a blush spread across his cheeks. "I'll… go with him to… um," He glanced at Sandy, who was wildly signing at him from over North's shoulder.

"_Keep him from messing up my room!_" Sandy was signing, and a the back of his mind, Aster mentally thanked Sandy for being the best friend he could ever have. _Thank the heavens for good old Sanderson St. North_, he mentally sighed.

"To, uh, keep him from messing up Sandy's room." North raised an eyebrow at him, and he felt his blush intensify. "B-because you know how much of a troublemaker he is, Mr. North." He weakly reasoned, and the elder man inspected him carefully, stroking his white beard.

"… Alright, then." He nodded, grinning knowingly, and at the back of Aster's mind he ruefully thought about how painfully obvious must he be looking right now. "Go on, you two. Up, up! The sooner we finish this, the better. We'll get lunch after this!"

"R-right," the two secret lovers chorused, and they both stumbled upstairs to head to the bathroom. Once the both of them were inside, they shared a glance, and Aster grinned weakly at Jack.

"So." He said, and the teenager grinned back at him.

"_So_." Jack replied, tapping his chin. "You were going to help me clean up?" he grinned, and Aster laughed, shaking his head.

"Oh, you big troublemaker." He chuckled, shaking his head, before moving forward to kiss the droplets of batter off Jack's cheek.

* * *

"_You guys took a while_," Sandy signed at the two of them when they walked back down the stairs, both slightly flushed. "_Had fun exchanging spit, no doubt_?"

"Shut up, Sandy." Jack snapped weakly at his brother, who only grinned wider at him.

"_Cut the sass, Sandy_," Kozmotis signed next to him, chuckling silently. "_Mr. North's gone out to order stuff for us. I'll be leaving in a bit, though, so I can't stay too long_."

"_An exhibit to go to?_" Sandy asked, and Kozmotis nodded.

"_Good luck with that,_" Jack signed at him, smiling, and the man nodded at him in thanks.

Kozmotis reached for Aster's shirt's hem and tugged at it to get the man's attention. Aster looked at him, and grinning, Kozmotis pointed at his mouth, before making a wiping gesture across it.

Grinning, Aster wiped his mouth, shaking his head fondly.

"Got me there, mate." He grinned, and Kozmotis laughed silently, having read Aster's lips to understand what he was saying.

Soon, North returned with Chinese take-out (here, Aster made comments at how contradictory their lunch was to what they had just baked not too long ago) and together, they all sat at the dining table to eat.

"_What time is Mom coming home_?" Sandy asked.

"Four." North replied, holding up four fingers. "She doesn't have her evening class today, so the timing will be perfect!"

"_Kozmotis is leaving after this_," Sandy replied, looking a little glum, but the black-haired man smiled at him reassuringly, patting his shoulder.

"_I'll be seeing you tomorrow, so it'll be fine_." He signed, before getting up. "_Thank you for the fun, and the food. I have to be going now_." He announced, and so they all bade their goodbyes and showed Kozmotis out the door.

They soon fell into a comfortable silence as they sat together on the couch; Jack snuggled up next to his father, Aster sitting on his other side, whilst Sandy was sprawled on his side at the end of the couch, absently toying with his phone.

The silence was broken, though, when the doorbell rang.

Jack's eyes widened and his face broke out into a grin, untangling his fingers from Aster's (their hands were held together secretly behind Jack's thigh, away from North's eyes) and shooting off the couch, running straight at the door. He flung it open, all-smiles. "Welcome home!" he cheerfully greeted.

"And it's wonderful to see you too, my boy," a voice different from his mother's spoke up, and Jack sobered up to realise that it wasn't his mother standing at the door, but Pitch Black.

"Uncle Pitch," Jack smiled, sobering up and stepping aside to let the man in. "I didn't know you were coming around…?"

"It's Toothiana's birthday, right?" Pitch asked, smiling slightly as he ruffled Jack's hair, stepping inside to see that Aster, North and Sandy had gotten up to see who it was. "Ah, Nicholas. Sanderson, and… Aster, was it?"

Aster nodded, walking up to him and holding out his hand for the man to shake. "E. Aster Bunnymund, sir."

"Yes, hello." Pitch nodded dismissively, lightly shaking Aster's hand before turning his full attention to Jack once more. "Jackson, dear boy, what is that _delicious_ scent I smell? Did you make something for your mother?"

"Yeah, we're going to surprise her with cake, pie and tarts," Jack smiled brightly at the man as he led him to the kitchen to show him what they had made. Left behind in the living room, Aster cast a glance at North, who, chuckling fondly, sighed and shook his head.

"Pitch Black. He's my boss at work. He's, um. Well, he's a _friend_." He told Aster, patting the man's shoulder before heading into the kitchen. Aster and Sandy looked at each other, and the blonde, grinning, shrugged.

"_Go with the flow_." He signed, "_It's a little past four. I'm sure Mom's coming home soon._"

"She can't come any faster." Aster sighed, watching Pitch shower affection on Jack, who, grinning, took it all in stride.

* * *

Exhausted, Tooth reached into her handbag to pull out the house keys. The staff meeting took out more energy than she had expected; she _really_ should get some rest. Smiling slightly, she shook her head. There was still dinner to make, some things needed to be sorted out—

"Welcome home!" cheerful voices greeted her as she opened the door, and her eyes widened in surprise to see her husband, her two sons, Aster and Pitch all gathered together at the living room, all of them smiling at her.

"… Oh?" she blinked, smiling slightly, pleasantly surprised. "What's this all about?"

North's expression fell slightly and he walked forward to meet up with his wife as she entered. "You forgot?" he asked, and she blinked at him.

"Forgot what?"

"It's your birthday today, Mom!" Jack smiled brightly, rushing forward to hug her, walking after him more calmly was Sandy, chuckling silently as the two hugged her warmly.

"Oh, that's right!" she gasped, delighted as she hugged her sons tightly back before letting go. "I, I completely forgot! I must have been so stressed out, what with exams and all… Aster! Pitch! You two are here too?" she smiled brightly, noticing the two men still standing behind. Pitch gave her a courteous nod, but Aster grinning brightly, went up to her and enveloped her in a warm hug.

"Thought it'd be nice to do something for you, Miss Tooth." He smiled at her as he pulled away, and Tooth giggled.

"Oh, you're such a sweet boy, even after all these years," she sighed, shaking her head fondly, patting Aster's cheek. Her eyes widened slightly, though, when she smelled something sweet in the kitchen. Eyebrow raised, she looked at North. "North, did you…?" she gestured at the kitchen, the beginnings of annoyance on her face, but North put up his hands defensively.

"Not me," he smiled, "Him." He pointed at Aster, who smiled at Tooth sheepishly.

"Aster? You made something?" she asked, and the gray-haired man chuckled.

"Made sure it was tooth-friendly," he grinned, "Everyone helped out." He took her hand and led her into the kitchen. "Come on, take a look."

She allowed him to lead her into the kitchen, where much to her delight, were egg tarts, egg pie and carrot cake laid out, all ready to be consumed, surrounded by the dinner North prepared.

"Oh, boys." She sighed, smiling fondly, "My wonderful, wonderful boys." She planted a soft kiss each on Jack's and Sandy's cheeks, and kissed North as well. She turned to look at Aster, smiling. "And you, of course, brilliant, brilliant E. Aster Bunnymund. Come here, sweety." She smiled, pulling him into a hug again, before planting a kiss on the man's forehead.

"Happy birthday, Miss Tooth." He smiled, gesturing at the food. "Let's dig in."

* * *

_EXTRA_

"Think she liked the stuff we made for her yesterday?" Jack asked, absently toying with the cloth used to wipe the cups, and Aster shrugged.

"'Suppose." He replied, "She was smiling the entire time."

"Uncle Pitch was, too," Jack grinned. "And you, Aster, you were both sulking and grinning all at the same time. Care to tell me why?" he asked, leaning on Aster's side and looking up at his boyfriend.

The gray-haired man sighed and buried his face in Jack's soft hair.

"Your uncle gives me the creeps. He likes you a _little_ too much, mate."

"Oh, please," Jack shrugged it off, "He's just concerned about me. Give him a break; I'm such a precious little snowflake everyone just can't resist taking care of me." He snickered, pulling away from Aster to grin at him. "Look at you, for example."

"Shut up, you bloody show pony." Aster smirked, pulling Jack close to himself, rubbing their noses together. "I'm still watching him, though. Too bloody suspicious."

"Suit yourself," Jack chuckled, leaning in to kiss Aster—when the bell rang, and the two lovers looked to see Kozmotis standing at the counter, smiling. "Oh, hey." Jack smiled, waving at the man, and he returned the wave.

"_I don't think she had too much of a good time, though,_" he signed at them, holding up a paper bag Sandy had given him, holding samples of what they had made inside. "_The carrot cake was way too sweet. I wonder why?_" he grinned, looking straight at Jack. Aster raised an eyebrow and looked down at Jack.

"… Jack, how many cups of sugar did you put in the batter?"

Jack grinned up at him sheepishly.

"Two…?" he trailed off, batting his eyelashes at Aster prettily, but the man wasn't buying it.

"Two and…?"

"Three… quarters…?"

Aster's eyebrow twitched, and he began to reach for Jack, but the boy was faster than him, managing to plant a chaste kiss on the man's lips before slipping away, giggling brightly.

"Get back here, Frostbite!" Aster yelled at Jack, who only laughed at him brightly.

"I'll take care of the outer tables, stay here, okay, Aster?" Jack hurriedly said, running out from behind the counter to Kozmotis's side. The man was laughing silently, picking up the context of the situation by their actions.

"Jack!" Aster growled out, and Jack kept laughing.

"I love you too, Aster!" Jack winked, before running away.

* * *

also that preview on chapter 20? It's out now! Prologue is up on my account, the fic's titled Shining, Shimmering, Splendid! You can find it on AO3, too!

extrabonus i'm currently filling out North-centric prompts on the kinkmeme _and_ i'm working on an AU, which can be found exclusively on AO3, archive of our own ! org / works / 587860

it's pitch/jack

thank

also! Whoever it was that asked for Angus/Jack on my Tumblr, it's up now, so go read it, everyone!

Next up is Cas's North-centric chapter! (because pitch deserves two chapters shhh he's last) Please wait for it; Cas still has exams to attend to, so please be patient.

Until next time!


	22. Wondrous - Nicholas St North

__Hi. Cas here. Hacked into Bukkun's FF account to post this, because really, I'm too tired to put up with her shit. I hope she appreciates this, _God_.

* * *

_Imagine person A giving person B a handmade gift._

_Also known as The Twelve Gifts of Christmas._

Note: Bukkun bugged me for this for three whole days, guys. Please excuse if my writing gets shitty. I'm not very proud of it myself, ugh.

Warnings: VERY book-savvy. It starts pre-book, for crying out loud. Multiple headcanons galore, and also mild shipping. I knocked it of before it could happen, you're welcome. Repetitive lines because I tried making this look like a prose-poem. I... just have a lot of North feelings, okay?

* * *

Rustling leaves accompanied the gentle breeze as the forest stood peacefully, green and brown and red and yellow—_alive_—as life went on around it. There were tiny creatures running up and down trees; larger ones running around on the ground below. The grass was fresh and green—still young and full of life, where tiny wild flowers curiously peered out above them, tiny delicate stems reaching up to the sky for warm, beautiful sunlight.

All was beautiful. All was peaceful.

In the middle of it all, a young boy lay curled up underneath a great oak tree, trunk wide in girth, tall and proud as it reached up to the sky, deep dark green leaves providing shade for the slumbering youth taking shelter beneath it as he soaked up the warmth in his sleep.

The boy stirred, and his eyes opened to reveal brilliant ice-blue eyes filled with sadness and the fatigue of a man that had lived a most lonely life for far too long.

As much as the forest around him was beautiful; and truly, it was, he knew what he was really meant to see.

This forest is a lie, he thinks to himself, and blinks. It is still there, and he knows he is dreaming.

So the boy blinks again, and reluctantly, the truth reveals itself to him.

He is tucked into a bear's corpse. The large creature, wrapped around him to provide him with little warmth lay dead as he slowly stood up, his bare feet crunching the snow beneath them. The dead bear—he had killed this one a few hours ago. The warmth in its body is gone. He must move on again.

Stepping out from the cocoon he made of the bear's corpse, the boy looked around for one of two things: food and shelter.

It had always been like this, the boy mused, for as long as he could remember. Since the start of his time, he had fought to stay alive, hunting and gathering all by himself in the wild forests covered in snow, always with snow, never warm or cosy or safe. He had never known the caress of care, or of gentleness; he was wild, raised by nature itself. He had learnt everything he knew from nature, his efficiency in hunting and gathering growing with every day he lived.

He was good at what he was doing. He knew nature was doing a good job raising him.

Unbeknownst to him, a woman with swirling black hair gently touched the ground, drawing patterns with her slim, snow-white fingers, and the footprints of a small deer appeared, leading to a clearing in the distance, where she had prepared her sacrifice for the alluring boy that she had grown to take care of. The young boy's determination in staying alive had earned him a place in her heart.

She would not have this boy die. This boy was destined to become something great, the Man in the Moon had told her, great enough to possibly return the one most dear to her.

She rustled the trees, and sounded the cry of the deer to catch the boy's attention. The wild child did as she expected and headed in the direction of the hoof prints she drew out for him. Her hair rustling, gently like what was left of the leaves in the trees above her, she slowly turned around to prepare her next gift to the boy.

She snapped a branch off a tree (she had chosen the sturdiest for him; he will have only the best, she decided) and laid it down reverently, before whispering sweet apologies to the living tree gently as she planted a soft kiss to its new scar. Pulling away, she reached for a sharp stone near her delicate bare feet and placed it next to the branch. She summoned a stag, and it obediently approached her. Stroking its fur softly, she handed the items to it, along with its mission. No words were needed; nature had her own language only those in tune with her could understand.

As the stag galloped away, she smiled.

As Mother Nature would have it, the boy will become good with his hands.

* * *

There was no remorse in the boy as he brought down the heavy stone onto the deer's head, only wonder as his eyes widened, watching dark red blood flow down and spill onto the floor. How pretty, the boy thought to himself, how blood clung onto the pure white snow, tainting it permanently with its dark colour.

A stag approached him, and he jolted, surprised. Unaffected by the sight of the dead deer in the boy's lap, the stag went up to him, completely undaunted and lowered what it had in its mouth with it—a sturdy-looking branch and a sharp-looking stone, before it turned and galloped away. The boy blinked at the stag, before looking down at the items.

Gifts from nature, he mused, as he picked them up, an idea forming in his head.

Minutes later he had a primitive-looking spear, the stone tied to the branch with the deer's innards.

At that moment, the boy knew he will be good with his hands.

It was then he gave his first handmade gift—a pouch filled with deer blood, made from skin he tore from the deer itself.

He poured it out onto the ground, holding near him proudly the spear, blood coating the stone blade and his childish, heart-shaped cheeks, and said his thanks to Mother Nature.

She smiled to herself as she gladly accepted the boy's offering, watching the deep red blood darken on the snow long after the boy had left. Lifting slim fingers, she raised from the patch of blood a young foal.

The boy was good, she knew.

She understood him.

She will take care of him.

After all, what a shame it would be to waste such talented hands.

* * *

Years later, the boy in his teenaged years, he was brought into a village by an old man who had found him wandering the forest. They taught him language, and culture, the concept of civilisation, all in an attempt to tame his wild ways.

They could not break his wild spirit—they decided to nurture it instead.

He was moulded into a most excellent warrior—skilled with a knife, with his bare hands, with sharp wit and lightning-fast reflexes. No one bothered with his identity. The Cossacks (for that was what the others had called them, they had no name for themselves, the ragtag race of wild bandits that constantly terrorised nearby civilisations) do not go by names. They go by actions. The boy did not care less for such things.

Yet, as he lived with the old man, he was taught the caress of love. Of care, of kindness, and the boy soon found himself confused. For such a long time he had lived without any of such things, of love, of the company of another human being; and now, there was this poor old man, outcast as a weakling by his own people, who was showering him with affection.

He had become… someone important. A _father_.

So the boy—now almost a man—first learnt of the meaning of goodness.

This realisation brought him to give his second gift ever—a small dagger he had managed to make himself. He had learnt the art of blacksmithing from the old man, and was quite good at it—he was always good with his hands—but he believed anything he made could not par the Cossack blacksmith he had come to live with.

When he had given it, he learnt how to smile, for the old man had given him something in return—his very own name.

_Nicholas_.

He had said that it had meant, _victory of the people_; and it was the name of the patron saint of children. The teen asked why that, of all things, but the old man smiled at him, and took his young hands in his.

"Because," he had said, "I know you will live for the children."

The boy knew that no one in the village held an ounce of liking for him—save for the children, who, enthralled with his wild nature and mysterious past, would always follow him wherever he went, their eyes filled with wonder as they looked up at him like a monument meant to be appreciated.

"But I do not know what I live for," he replied, and the old man smiled at him, his eyes sparkling.

"Then live for the children." He replied simply.

The next day the man passed away, but he passed away happily assured that the boy—Nicholas, was in good hands—his very own hands, capable and strong, young and warm, and fully capable of achieving wonder almost naturally.

* * *

Nicholas left the Cossacks after that realisation. He had become enamoured with the wonder of the world after the old man opened his eyes that night before he passed away. He hated the complete disregard of the Cossacks for human life—tossing the corpse of the old man that had cared for him throughout his teenaged years to the side was the last straw for him. After that had happened, the young man, the best of them all, packed what little belongings he had and stole a horse—it was young, much like himself, with a sleek black coat that was as dark as his hair.

As he straddled its bare back, it bucked and kicked—it was still unbroken, much like he was, and a grin crossed his face as he held on by wrapping his arms strongly around its neck.

"Petrov," he whispered to it simply, running his hand down its mane, stroking it, letting it know of a touch it had never felt before. "Your name is Petrov."

The wild horse calmed down and stood still, and a small smile crossed Nicholas's face.

"I will not break you; for I myself am unbroken." The young man said, "Escape with me from this prison; I know it is like this for you as it is for me."

The horse—Petrov—did not need to be told twice and galloped away with Nicholas on its back.

Nicholas was not his master; Petrov was not his pet.

Together, they would find a place where they could call home, the Northern star the only thing in the sky guiding their way. The moon, full and bright, stood aside and looked on as a passive observer.

It was because of the star Nicholas chose his full name: Nicholas St. North—North, after the star that he followed to find his true home.

As equals, they rode away, and Nicholas gave away his third handmade gift—reins made with smoothly-shaped metal shaped by Nicholas's hands himself, comfortably settled in Petrov's mouth, not as a dominating collar of possession, but as a trinket from a dear friend.

* * *

Soon Nicholas earned himself a reputation as a thief, many a rich man cursing his name as he rode on, terrorising the entirety of Europe, with a steadily-growing collection of spoils he gathered from all over the continent.

Now, sitting on a pile of dead soldiers, only lightly panting, the young man chewed thoughtfully on his almost-finished steak, a bloodied steak knife lying on his lap as he looked up at the night sky, dotted with stars in a beautiful randomness, the Northern Star still shining down on him like a beacon of light. Absently he traced shapes and constellations with his eyes as Petrov lazily trotted towards him to pick him up. As the horse approached, Nicholas grinned at it, and patted its neck.

"You'd think a regiment this big would put up a bigger fight," the young man laughed, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief he had pulled out from one of the dead soldier's pocket, before tossing it aside. "I have to give them credit, though; at least they managed to bend the steak knife." He grinned, shoving Petrov the steak knife he had been previously using to cut up his dinner. Now it was bent at an alarming angle to the right, and covered with blood and a little bit of gut. "I'm having a hard time eating, though."

Petrov nosed at Nicholas's wrists, where around them were cuffs.

"Oh, these? Yes, they cuffed me up—you were there!" he laughed brightly, patting Petrov's head. "The chain was pitifully easy to break, though. Just one slam with a big stone did the trick."

"Nicholas St. North?" a voice asked, and the young man turned to see a small band of men approaching him warily, weapons raised. Nicholas raised an eyebrow at them and ate up the last of his steak. "Are you the thief Nicholas St. North?" the man in front asked.

"What do you think?" Nicholas grinned, gesturing at the pile he was sitting on.

"So you are," the man nodded, before kneeling down in front of him, alarming the young man, and the other men followed suit. "We would like to become your followers, Bandit King." He said, bowing his head deeply and respectfully. "For we know you are great, and you will lead us to greatness."

The young man's grin widened.

"The Bandit King. Is that what I am called now?" he asked, and the man looked up at him. "Very well." he nodded and relief crossed the men's faces.

And so Nicholas St. North gained his first few followers.

* * *

And time passed quickly for the young man; and it was a long time before he learnt to give again.

* * *

"Nicholas!" Ombric's voice boomed through the walls of Big Root as the old wizard stormed through opaque mist, the bright peals of laughter of a little girl ringing in his ears. Waving his arms this way and that, Ombric cleared the smoke around him to see North standing next to a charred table, looking very sheepish, as at his side, little Katherine was hunched over, clutching her stomach and laughing brightly. "What is going on here?" He demanded, and the young man winced at his tone.

"That is," he simply said, and he pointed at a large cat sitting in the middle of the room, blinking at them all owlishly, as Ombric stared at it in shock. "I'm so sorry," he began to say, his expression sincere—but then it crumbled like a soggy biscuit and he, too, doubled over in bright laughter. Ombric's brow creased, and he tapped his foot in impatient annoyance as he waited for his two young companions to compose themselves and calm down.

North was the first to calm down, wiping a tear from his eye as he grinned at Ombric. "I can explain this, I swear," he defended, holding up his two hands. "Remember that time I tried shrinking a kitten?"

"You overcompensated?" Ombric asked in disbelief. "North, you are overstepping your boundaries _again_. You must learn to take time and learn magic _properly_," he sighed in exasperation as he began to amble around the room to reach the library to look for the book that had the counter-spell. "Honestly, patience is a virtue, young man!"

"I'm not exactly the most virtuous person out there, Ombric," North grinned at the wizard charmingly, and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, Ombric, please don't be mad at North," Katherine spoke up, grasping the young man's hand in her small ones. "He's trying his utmost best."

"I know, little one." Ombric sighed, running his palm down his face and looking at the two. "But you are wearing yourself thin, North. Learn to control yourself."

Sighing, he walked away to the library, waving his hand and making the cat follow after him, and the two shared a glance at each other.

"… I think I made him really angry this time around." North spoke up after Ombric had left through the door, and Katherine looked up at him, her expression grim.

"We should do something," she said, and the young man nodded.

"I have just the thing." He smiled at her, and Katherine's expression brightened up.

"May I help you out?" she asked excitedly, and North grinned, nodding.

"You can ask the other children to come by, too." He told her, "Let's all make something for Ombric."

The two grinned at each other and they got to work; Katherine to call her friends, and North to start drafting out his elaborate plan on paper.

* * *

Ombric had managed to reverse the cat when he was disturbed by a knock on the door. The turned his head and called, "Come in."

Katherine peered into the room, and he smiled at her. "Katherine," he smiled. "Whatever is the matter?" he asked, and she smiled at him.

"We've invented something," she said, gesturing for him to come outside. "I want to show it to you."

Ombric momentarily thought about North, wondering how the young man had taken to his words earlier. No doubt the young man did as he pleased anyway, he reasoned, stopping North's progress was like trying to block a waterfall using wooden barrels—doable, yet impossible to sustain. He nodded in response to Katherine, and he followed her out—

Only to come face-to-face with a rather strange-looking creature. It was a bear, standing tall over Ombric, but it looked rather strange. It was both black _and_ white, large black spots littering its body of white; and unlike the bear that protected Santoff Claussen, it was rather round and fat, not lean and powerful-looking.

"What is this?" he asked, deadpan, and a hand heavily clapped down on his shoulder. He turned his head to see North grinning at him.

"I call it a panda," he replied, "Isn't it wonderful?"

"… It's a fat black and white bear." Ombric replied, and North laughed, walking up to the panda and hugging it warmly. The panda let out a small growl but did nothing to protest; instead sitting down on its behind and accepting the attention the man was giving it. The children in the room with them, giggling brightly, joined in hugging the bear rather viciously, their tiny arms wrapping around a warm, fluffy body. Even Katherine, usually calm and composed was giggling brightly along with the other children, rubbing her face in the panda's soft black and white fur.

North grinned at Ombric from where he was, and he let go of the panda to approach his master. "The children invented it with me." he smiled, "But I made the panda come to be. It wasn't easy," he laughed, looking off to the side. Ombric followed the young man's gaze and saw a spell book wide open at a page of a particularly difficult spell. A small proud smile crossed the old wizard's face and he looked up at North, who was still grinning at him, albeit a little more shyly than before. "What do you think?"

"I think it is wonderful," Ombric replied honestly, "I think its gentleness is its best trait. Look at how happy the children are."

"I thought as much," North smiled, warm and happy, and the old wizard realised how rare a sight it was for the young man to smile so unabashedly. "I made it for you, though."

Ombric's eyes widened slightly. "For me?"

North grinned at him. "I wanted to impress you." He said simply. "So I made this with my own hands."

A fond smile crossed Ombric's face and he shook his head fondly.

"North, you _always_ impress me." he half-murmured, so that only the both of them heard it. "You and your most wonderful nature."

The young man chuckled humbly beside him, and the two of them watched the children play with the panda until it was time for supper.

And so the fourth gift was accepted with grace—and the fondness only a loving master could give.

* * *

North soon found the idea of gift-giving enjoyable—he had always loved the look of wonder on people's faces as he gave them presents; little gifts he made himself just to make people smile.

He would often make toys for the children, making prototypes from any material he could find—wood, metal, stone or ice—and then he would make it come to life as he gave it to a child, whose eyes would will with joyous wonder as he presented it to them.

Unbeknownst to him, far into his future, to be a gift-giver was his destiny.

* * *

Crouching by himself underneath the cover of Big Root, E. Aster Bunnymund was mulling over a few eggs that were standing in front of him, pondering over their designs, when he felt something hit his head lightly. The Pooka, annoyed, lifted his head to see North grinning down at him, holding a pair of… _things_ that Bunnymund could not recognise.

"What is it?" he asked, exasperated as he stood up to address North. "Can't you see I'm a little busy?" he gestured at the eggs standing in front of him, and they jumped up and down on their wiry legs to emphasize their presence.

"Bah, you and your eggs," North waved him off, grinning, before lifting what he had in his hands for Bunnymund to see. "_This_, however, is a much better topic to find interest in rather than those eggs."

"Hey," Bunnymund frowned, "_Nothing_ is more interesting than eggs."

North grinned at him and poked his nose with the end of one of the objects he was holding. Bunnymund scowled at him and snatched it from the young man's hands. "What are these things?" he gruffly asked, turning them around in his hands. There were the two of them, and they were made of wood, with intricate carvings and a shiny finish, and were slightly thin and tapered at the ends. It was bent at an angle, reminding Bunnymund of bananas. A small smirk crossed his face and he looked at the young man. "Did you make wooden bananas?"

"I did not," North protested, taking one of them and inspecting them in his hands. "I call them boomerangs." He said, "Watch this." He grinned, before rearing back and throwing it into the distance with great strength. The boomerang flew away from them, spinning wildly, and Bunnymund looked at the young man, clearly unimpressed.

"And how is this more interesting than eggs?" he asked, deadpan, and North grinned at him.

"For starters, you might want to duck." He said, and Bunnymund's eyes widened as he heard something coming up behind him. Quickly, he ducked, just in time to see the boomerang cut through the air where his head previously was before North caught it with a satisfying _thwack_.

"What," Bunnymund stammered, gaping at the boomerang in North's hand. "What—but _how_?"

"It's enchanted, and the way it's shaped helps it come back to the one who threw it." North grinned at the Pooka. "I know that you've been having trouble with long-range combat, with that staff of yours, it can only reach so far." He smiled, handing the boomerang back to Bunnymund. "So I decided to make you these."

"You made these… for _me_?" the Pooka asked, blinking. "Whatever for?"

North smiled at him, and nodded. "Because I live to see the wonder in the eyes of many." He simply said, and Bunnymund looked at him, slightly awed at what the young man had told him.

"You have more wisdom than I have given you credit for, North." The Pooka murmured, and North chuckled humbly by his side.

"You give me enough credit as it is." He replied simply. "But I'll tell you something—I always have been good with my hands. These will serve you well."

Hundreds of years later, and they still do.

Catching the pair of boomerangs in his large, furry hand, Bunnymund grinned to himself as he pressed up against Jack's back as the both of them defended themselves against the Nightmares.

Truly, North had always been good with his hands.

And so, the fifth gift was accepted with reluctance—gradually accepted with happiness over time.

* * *

With the company of new friends, North had learnt new things, but nothing ever changed when it came to wonder. Every new thing was always accompanied with wonder.

It came as no small surprise, then, when he had learnt the complexities of falling in love.

"Ombric, what does it mean when your heart races and you get nervous all of a sudden for no apparent reason other than someone had walked into the room?" the young man asked, one evening in one of the dining halls of the Lunar Lamadary, as he sat next to the old wizard, picking at his food. His eyes wandered all over the place—up to the high ceiling, tracing the sloping pillars that reached up high to the top, down the tapestries adorned with countless golden embroidery of epic tales North himself could not fathom.

The older man splutters on his drink and lowers it, looking at his apprentice, alarmed. "Did you just ask me that question?"

North looked at him expressionlessly. "It's a legitimate question, is it not?"

"Well," Ombric looked to the side. He looked rather awkward, and the young man peered at him with curious ice-blue eyes. "Nicholas, that means one of two things: one, you absolutely _loathe_ this person. For who knows what reason, I'd assume, but I can hardly imagine you loathing anyone—"

"No, I don't think I loathe Toothiana," North replied deadpan, "So what is the other option, then?"

On the far side of the room, Bunnymund's spluttering could be heard and the laughter of yetis quickly following suit. The Pooka was then suddenly at North's side, an uncharacteristic grin that spread from ear to ear on the Pooka's face.

"Do my ears deceive me? Is Nicholas St. North in _love_?"

"Excuse me?" North looked at his friend in surprise. "Love?"

"Yes, yes!" Ombric suddenly burst out, grinning brightly, and the two slung their arms over North's shoulders. "I see the young man has blossomed! You're in love, Nicholas!"

"I, I don't understand," North protested, shaking his head—but then Katherine walked up to them, a big smile on her face. She had heard Ombric's outburst and had decided to come over, Nightlight following after her at her heels. "Katherine?" he asked, and she giggled.

"You're in love with Queen Toothiana?" she asked, and the young man's cheeks heated up despite himself. "Oh! You are!" she brightly cheered, clasping her hands together. "Oh, North!"

"Oh, North, indeed!" Bunnymund snickered, elbowing the young man in his side. "So, what are we going to do with you, lover boy?"

"I don't understand what all the fuss is about; is falling in love really that—"

"Yes, yes it is!" Katherine cried out before he could finish, and the young man stilled to listen to the young girl. "Falling in love is so, so magical, North, I know that love is the most powerful force on Earth!"

North looked at her like she had grown a third head, and Katherine's smile faltered slightly.

"… You've never fallen in love before, have you?"

"Never." North replied truthfully, and beside him Ombric and Bunnymund doubled over, trembling slightly. He spared them a glance; eyebrow raised, but said nothing on it.

Katherine looked up at Nightlight, and the two of them shared a knowing look. She turned back to look at North, smiling brightly. "Then we'll teach you." She giggled, running over to him and taking his hands, pulling him out of his seat and out of the dining hall.

* * *

That was the night North gave away his sixth handmade gift—a complete jewellery set made from fine tendrils of silver, twisting this way and that in a manner that only vines would do, shimmering rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds dotting the length of the tendrils as flowers and leaves. He had made a necklace, a pair of earrings, a ring, a pair of bangles for both wrists and ankles, and a headdress ornament that was made in such a way it complemented the design on the Queen's headdress. It was without something special—he would be giving it to her along with his heart.

Standing by himself nervously on the balcony, North looked behind him to see Katherine egging him on, a grin on her face as she gestured for him to move forward and approach the last Sister of Flight, currently standing at the railing of a wide balcony, looking up at the full moon.

Swallowing, North steeled himself. For years he had not felt fear, why was this so different? This was not life-threatening; this was just a simple confession of his feelings.

Yet why was he so _scared_?

"Toothiana," he spoke up, offering her the satchel he had hastily put the delicate pieces of jewellery he had made. "I made these for you." He swallowed as the woman turned her head to look at him, cocking her head, elegant and bird-like, just like the first time he had met her. "Y-Your Highness," he added hastily, and Toothiana smiled at him gently, taking the satchel from his hands.

"Whatever for?" she asked, peering inside—and her eyes widened in pleasant surprise. Taking out the first piece she saw—the headdress ornament; a pretty little thing that consisted of a silver stem and a gorgeous ruby flower, she peered at it, inspecting it carefully, before smiling warmly. "This is beautiful," she said, clipping it to her headdress. "Did you make this?"

"I made an entire set," North replied, warmth spreading across his cheeks as he hoped the woman would not notice in the darkness of the night. "A necklace, earrings…" he trailed off, smiling shyly. "I just thought they would suit you."

Toothiana hummed appreciatively as she pulled out two earrings and put them on. "They're gorgeous," she commented, and her wings slightly puffed up. North relaxed slightly. At least she was happy.

"And, Toothiana, there was something I wanted to tell you."

And soon, words tumbled out of North's mouth uncontrollably, and Toothiana listened, her jaw falling slack and her beautiful violet eyes widened.

* * *

That night, North gave away his sixth and seventh gift—

That very same night was the first night he ever got his gift back.

That night, broken-hearted, North peered out at the night sky and looked at the Northern Star, passively thinking about the jewellery he had meticulously created for the lovely Toothiana.

He had always been good with his hands; his heart, however, needed a bit more work.

* * *

Being a Guardian brought many new experiences to North; one was riding in a dream-ship, made and piloted by his dear friend Sandy.

The young man gazed out at the sky, his eyes wide with wonder as they flew—no, _sailed_—in the air, the stars and the big, big moon much larger and closer than ever before.

"This is wonderful!" he laughed, thrilled as he held onto the railings made of golden Dreamsand. "Absolutely wonderful! Sandy, how did you make such a wonderful thing?"

The yellow sandman smiled up at him from his place beside the young man, and bowed in appreciation, before conjuring up tendrils of golden Dreamsand, before showing it to North, as if to tell him, '_this allowed me_.'

"It must be great," the young man smiled wistfully as the wind tousled his black hair. He reached out at the Dreamsand and it pooled in his hand. He felt it with his thumb—it felt like normal, regular sand, but it shone with the radiance and light that North knew came from the moon. "You must like flying a lot," he said, and Sandy shook his head, grinning slightly. "You don't?"

Sandy conjured up an image of a boat at sea. North's eyes widened. "You'd rather sail?" he asked, and Sandy nodded. "My, that is curious. It must be because you were up in the sky for so long?"

Sandy nodded, smiling, and North smiled back at him. "I see," he nodded, and at once, an idea started forming in his head. Somehow he knew what he wanted to give the little yellow man.

* * *

The eighth gift was gratefully accepted.

"I made this for you," North smiled, handing an astrolabe to Sandy. The little yellow man eyed him curiously, raising an eyebrow, and North laughed sheepishly. "I know you don't really need it, since you always know where you're headed, but I thought that it would be a rather nice addition to the ship. You told me you like sailing, right?" he smiled, and Sandy's look of surprise melted into one of happiness.

The yellow man nodded, and floated down into the brig of the ship. North followed after him into the Dreamship to see the captain's quarters—completely made of Dreamsand, mind you—completely remodelled to fit the design of the astrolabe. From a rather rounded, minimalist look, with rounded circles for chairs and simplistic beds, it now looked more like the inside of a ship, fully furnished with a closet, a desk, and a bed. Sandy, smiling, hung up the astrolabe right above the bed and grinned at North.

"Do you like it?" he asked, and Sandy nodded. Relief washed over him, and North smiled back at the little man. "Thank goodness." He breathed, laughing. "I was worried you would find my gift rather redundant."

Sandy shook his head, smiling, and tendrils of Dreamsand floated near North's head.

"_You make the most wonderful gifts, young man._" Voices whispered in his ear. "_You are most befitting for the Guardian of Wonder._"

North smiled at Sandy, and nodded.

"Thank you," he grinned, "I've always been good with my hands."

* * *

The ninth gift was mixed with tears; North wishes he forgets the gift.

Clutching the hand-made compass tightly in his hand, he reaches out for the little girl, crying for him—

"I'll find you again, I promise," he hastily gasps as the darkness all around them grows thicker, and thicker and even Nightlight's radiance was blotted out. "I promise, I promise," he repeated, his voice broken and weary, and he was oh so _tired_, but he would not let go, not for the whole world. "Keep believing. Believe in me."

"I will, I will," Katherine's voice sobbed through the darkness, her little fingers brushing North's, still so tightly wrapped around the compass. "I promise."

He hands her the compass, thrusting it forcefully in her hands.

She feels her warmth for the last time—

And it was gone.

Katherine was gone.

He knew, though, he _knew_, that the compass will lead her to him again someday.

After all, he was so good with his hands. The compass will not fail him.

* * *

The tenth gift was given as a piece of comfort.

Trapped in an ice-cold cave in the middle of a snowstorm, North huddled next to a shivering young fire spirit, who had his head buried in his arms as he curled up in a small ball next to the taller man.

How they had managed to get there, North, at the time, did not know; he was incoherent with hypothermia, and the coldness was starting to bite at him. The fire spirit beside him—still nameless and colder than the ice around them—was silent, like he was not there.

As much as North needed the comfort, he knew, now more than ever, the young boy curled up beside him needed it more. Uttering a spell of protection he had learnt from Ombric so, so long ago, he blew over his hand and ran his fingers through faintly-flickering fire hair.

The fire spirit jolted with his touch and looked up at him, amber eyes wild with shock and alarm.

"Why… how did you touch me?"

"Because you needed me," North replied simply, smiling tiredly at the boy. "I live to protect children, my dear boy. All kinds of children, spirit or not."

The fire spirit withered slightly at his words, but nodded wordlessly and hunched back into his curled up position, albeit a little closer to North now. The man smiled as he felt warmth seep into him, feeling the welcome heat that was radiating from the boy's burning body.

"I have something for you." North spoke up, and the boy looked up at him to see North holding up a snow globe. "Do you know what this is? I made it myself."

"… Will I burn that if I touch it?" the boy asked instead of answering North's question, and the man, chuckling fondly at how unsure the boy was, shook his head.

"It's made of glass. It won't be harmed by you. It never will." He said, before gently depositing it in the boy's hands. "Use this when you need me. Just call for me, and break it. It will take you to me."

"Your name…" The boy began to say, and North smiled at him, stroking his hair.

"My name is Nicholas St. North." He replied, "What is yours?"

"… Angus."

"Angus," North nodded, "I will never forget you, Angus. You brave young lad."

"And I, you, North," Angus replied, albeit a little shyly. "You… you were the first person to ever touch me… without getting hurt."

North smiled at him, and Angus smiled weakly back.

"How will I know if this will work? When I need you," Angus asked, after a moment of silence, and North laughed weakly.

"It will," he assured, "I am very skilled with my hands, you know."

And Angus knew; he always knew, thinking about the man as he sat in the thirty-foot fireplace, soaking up the fire that was there. He will always know.

* * *

The eleventh gift was a peace offering.

Golden bands of metal and Dreamsand, fused together in the form of four rings, one representing each Guardian in a truce with darkness itself.

Painstakingly made of his own hand and Sandy's, North was proud of his creation when he presented them to Pitch Black.

"A truce," they had called, "Between you and the Guardians."

The snake agreed.

It was difficult, however, for the snake to uphold.

North was good with his hands—he was born to create, but he also knew how to destroy.

When the rings snapped in two, gold falling from Pitch's wrists, waist and neck, he knew there were tumultuous times ahead.

He needed to make haste in preparations.

* * *

The twelfth gift was given for joy.

"What's this?" Jack asked, looking curiously down at the wrapped present in his hands. "I thought I was on the Naughty list forever," he grins, but the way his hands were shaking as he held the box told North a completely different story. The boy's eyes shone with tears threatening to spill and the corner of his smirking lips were twitching, as if he was forcing that grin to stay on his face.

"I give this to you as a Christmas present between friends, Jack." North replied instead, choosing not to speak of the boy's evident rampage of emotions running through him. "Think of it as an off-duty present."

Jack looked up at him now, not saying a word, but judging by the way his throat was constricting, it was obvious he was holding back something. A gentle smile crossed North's lips and he pulled the boy in close, hugging him warmly, not missing the way Jack's eyes widened, an unheeded tear spilling out from his left eye and rolling down his cheek.

"Let it out, Jack." He simply said, "Let it out."

So the boy did.

Tears flowed and a pair of thin arms wrapped around his middle.

"This… was my first… present," he felt more than heard Jack mumble into his stomach. "Th-thank you."

"Open it," North chuckled, pulling away to wipe Jack's tears away with his large thumb. "Look inside."

Sniffling slightly, but smiling, Jack did as he was told, carefully peeling off the ribbon and the wrapper, trying not to tear it like it was just as precious as the present inside. This little act put a smile on North's face as he watched Jack uncover the box and open it—and _ah_, a look of absolute wonder crossed his face.

"Wow," Jack breathed, pulling out a blue Matryoshka doll of himself—it was just like the one of North. "You… you made this?" he asked, a smile slowly spreading across his face as he inspected it, weighing it in his hands carefully, like he was afraid it would break if he didn't handle it carefully enough.

"You found your own centre, no?" North smiled at him, resting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "On the outside," he began, smoothing his hand over the glossy finish of the doll. "You are mischievous." At this, Jack laughed, but he nodded, before popping the doll open to reveal another layer.

"And rebellious," he grinned, and the two of them shared a smile as he popped it open for the next layer. He inspected it, and his smile sobered up and became a little sad. "… And lonely."

"But," North smiled, popping it open for Jack, and showed him the next doll. "You are brave, and devoted." He opened it again, and Jack half-melted at the drawing, silently whispering Jamie's and Emma's names as he caressed the doll, smiling more and more warmly as time went on. "And at your centre…"

"I am fun," Jack smiled at last, opening the doll for the last piece—the piece North had given to him when he became a Guardian. "North, this… this is wonderful. I… I don't know what to say."

"You have told me all I want to hear, my boy." North smiled, cupping Jack's face in his hands and looking into his eyes, ice blue mirroring ice blue. "The wonder in your eyes is all I need."

Chuckling, Jack shook his head fondly, before hugging the man. "You big softie." He mumbled into North's shoulder, and the man laughed, loud and hearty, the laugh children all over the world knew was distinctly Santa Claus's. "… Thanks." He smiled, pulling away to look at North. "I'll try to be nice this year… Santa."

North blinked at Jack, surprised, but then he laughed.

"That is a promise I know you'll find impossible to keep, Jack." He grinned, shaking his head fondly, and Jack chuckled along. "But… I know you'll do your best."

"That I will, North. Devoted, remember?" Jack grinned.

North smiled at the young boy and of course he remembers.

He was good with his hands, after all. What he makes is what he gets.

* * *

Right, lots of explaining to do.

1.) Katherine's disappearance - I (okay, Bukkun and I) have this headcanon that Katherine was taken by the darkness much like Pitch's wife was. Explains why Mother Goose isn't as popular as she is now, and she only lives on by the tales she tells.

2.) Angus and North - I promise that we'll write a chapter all about him just so you guys can understand what is up with him, I swear.

3.) Peace offering - the golden bands Pitch has in the pre-movie design by rufftoon (rufftoon ! tumblr ! com) are a sign of a truce between Pitch and the Guardians. Bukkun and I saw this headcanon on Tumblr and we thought it was really, really cool.

4.) Jack's matryoshka doll is based on this post: everydonuthasasoul ! tumblr ! com * post * 38298588815 * jacks - russian - doll - mini - posters - set - edit - even (exclamation points to full stops, asterisks to slashes and remove all the spaces. Thank me later, and yes, I do think it's cute and I want a set.)

Scaring Bukkun's fun, by the way. Just sayin'.


	23. Fall of General Pitchiner - Pitch Black

Note: Cas here. Wrote this up as fast as I could because some asshole made Bukkun cry and I get to pick the pieces up, the little fuckers. So, to cheer her up, I wrote… the first part that may or may not give her feels. Okay, not the best way to cheer a girl up, but at least I'm trying! (Someone help me, though, I don't know if this is going to work, if I make things worse please help me out, good Lord) So. Wrote bits of it, she wrote the other parts (I forced her to, she needed a break and so she decided to write Angus and Jack being fluffy. I let her. Happy _now_, everyone?), I'm posting since she's still working and she's thoroughly embarrassed at my reason for starting things off. Part one of a (possible) three-part finale because Bukkun and I like doing things in parts.

And yes, the finale is nearing, everyone. Thank you so much for riding along with us.

Warnings: Everything failing, Pitch winning, "feels" or whatever Bukkun liked calling them, past digging and loads of headcanons, Angus getting whumped, the Guardians losing (gasp here, please, if you'd like), and a whole lot of other things I can't be bothered to list here, not when Bukkun is complaining to me about everything over at Facebook.

* * *

Beautiful golden curtains framed large, ceiling-high windows framed with white gold that led to ornate gold balconies that overlooked a majestic kingdom, where streets were lined with joyous lights and the most gleeful sights of children happily running around, stalls open and happily bustling with business. High above them in the sky was the glorious sight of airships in all shapes and sizes—marvels, each one of them, living proof of the glory of the Golden Age.

Inside the elegant ballroom, all high ceilings with beautiful tapestry, a glimmering golden moonlit chandelier hanging high above the heads of the guests, dresses swished about as couples danced together in a joyous waltz all around the marble floor depicting a mural of the establishment of the Golden Age—brought about by one of the wisest men the universe ever knew—Tzar Lunanoff, a majestic man standing by his wife, the Tzarina, as they looked over the festivities with shining pride.

The darkness that clouded the universe had just been vanquished—Dream Pirates, Nightmares and Fearlings alike have been rid of, allowing the glorious Golden Age to flourish amongst the stars.

"Where is our hero?" the Tzar asked his lovely wife, who only chuckled and patted her husband's hand. The man frowned slightly, and shook his head. "I mean it; where is General Kozmotis Pitchiner? He is the guest of honour, and he is nowhere to be seen?"

"Oh, my dear, you know he is a humble man." His wife replied, reassuringly patting her husband's arm. "He knows his efforts are all appreciated, but he personally asked me to allow him to be excused from this event; he has something important to attend to."

"Is anything more important than a hero's promotion ceremony?"

She chuckled, and shook her head fondly. "My love, he asked for time to be with his daughter. The war we had waged against the darkness of the universe took a very long time. Imagine what it must be like for a father to be so far away from his daughter, and for so long."

The Tzar gazed at the airships outside their palace, and a smile crossed his face, thinking about their very own child, and he sighed, shaking his head fondly.

"Assure me he will be here for the ceremony, at least."

"He swore it," his wife nodded, and he smiled at her.

"Then let us leave him be." He declared, before turning his attention to the festivities before them.

* * *

The tall, dark-haired man approached the little girl's bedroom door, slightly unsure of himself, hesitant in spite of all his heroic acts he had done in the war he had left her for.

No fight against any Fearling, or Nightmare will ever be any more nerve-wracking than meeting one's child again after such a long time, and he wonders if his daughter hated him. He had left her alone for so long, after all.

Her governess, past her tears and cries of joy at her employer's return, had told him she had tucked his little girl in to bed not too long ago and that she was asleep, but he could not wait even until the crack of dawn to see her. He had been away from her for far too long, and just the thought of not seeing her for any minute longer sent his heart aching. Yet, he still feared. He feared his daughter's reaction, his daughter's possible emotions about his absence in her life.

The to-be general grasped the knob and soundlessly opened the door to see his little girl, her wavy, curling black tresses tumbling over her shoulders, clamber up a chair to sit on the windowsill and look up at the sky, where he could see her hands clasp together in a reverent prayer.

A small smile crossed his face as he entered, closing the door behind him without a sound so as not to startle his little girl.

"Please, please, please." He heard her say to the stars high above her. "Please bring my Daddy back. I miss him so, so much."

"I missed you too, my dear girl." He replied, and he saw her little frame jolt in surprise. She quickly turned around, her hair flying in her face, but she didn't care—the light in her black eyes was enough to show her overflowing joy as tears spilled from them. The little girl leapt from her perch at the windowsill and threw herself into her father's embrace, sobbing happily as she wrapped her small arms around him, burying her face into his regal officer uniform.

"D-Daddy," she hiccupped into his chest, and the man felt tears prick at his eyes as well, as he hugged her close to himself, listening to her heartbeat against his own, assuring himself that this was all real, and that he was with her again, not like before, in all those feverish nights he spent in the military encampment, where he had only the company of his trusted steed and faded dreams—or memories—of his lovely daughter. "Daddy, you're back, you're really, really back,"

"Yes, I am, my dear." He murmured into her hair, stroking her back reassuringly as he let her cry on his shoulder, simply holding her close and relishing in the beautiful happiness that blossomed in his chest as he felt her warmth against his. "I'm… I'm home."

"I missed you," she whimpered, after a long while, when her sobs had subsided and her father tucked her into bed, soothingly stroking her hair to calm her down. "You were gone for so, so long, and I just… I…"

"Shh, it's alright, dear one," the man murmured, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'm back now. I'm home. The Fearlings are gone. There's nothing to worry about anymore."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She smiled at him warmly, and held onto his hand until she fell asleep.

When her breath evened out, he pried his hand away from hers and silently left her room to receive his promotion.

The following morning, his name was on every single civilian's lips.

"_Long live General Pitchiner_!"

* * *

Nothing ever stays as it is; peace never stays for too long.

A broken, tired man, General Kozmotis Pichiner stands dutifully in front of the closed doors, his heart weary and his soul so worn out he was sure it would give away any time soon.

His precious daughter was gone.

His life, committed to solitude in front of the last barrier between all that is good and all that is evil.

Standing by himself in the solitary guard's post in front of the prison's only door, he steeled himself against the barrage of whispers and calls from behind the closed doors. He knew he should not relent. He knew what was needed to be done.

Sighing, he took out the locket he had kept in his pocket all this time. He opened it and looked down at the picture of his daughter's face, and a wave of nostalgic sadness washed over him.

His duty had kept him away from her; and now, it was the very same thing that took her away from him.

He took solace in looking at his daughter, though, and a small amount of happiness blossomed inside him—he had raised her well, she was kind, and loving, and a beautiful person; Kozmotis could not think of a better person than his daughter. He knew he had succeeded in rearing her; if her mother had still been alive, she would have been so proud of him. He knew, despite the fact he was always away from her, he had been a good father to her. He was glad of at least having the knowledge that he had not failed as a father to his daughter.

Then came the treacherous whispers.

"_Please, Daddy,_" they whispered into his ears, "_Please, please, please open the door._"

A spark of hope arose in his cold, lonely heart; it had been so long since he had heard her voice—but then it was quickly extinguished when he realised what it was—a Fearling trick.

They pressed on.

"_Daddy, I__'__m trapped in here with these shadows, and I'm scared_," the voice pleaded, a frightened little girl speaking out to him as he steeled himself outside the door. "_Please open the door. Help me, Daddy, please._"

The pleas grew desperate, as Kozmotis began to slip into a trance. Whispers, dark and seductive, danced around his head as his mind began to race, began to _think_—

_His precious daughter was trapped in there, with all the evil of the universe held inside a prison._

_She was alone__—__and so very scared. It was a sin to leave her where she is._

_She__'__s crying, shaking, curled up into a little ball._

_Look at her tears, Kozmotis. Why deny her freedom?_

_She needs you. Are you not her father?_

_**Would you ever fail her?**_

Panic seeped into his senses—he could no longer think, could no longer reason with anything as he turned and grasped the door's handles, a strong, valiant military general reduced to a worried-sick father desperate to save his beloved child.

Of course she was not there. The sight of twisting, turning shadows greeted his field of vision, and all he saw was black.

Pitch black, darker than any sort of darkness he had ever seen.

He didn't even get a chance to scream her name as they overtook him, laughing with all cruelty and heartlessness as they poured around him, and into him, corrupting and tainting and _destroying_ anything and everything that remained of his humanity as his transformation began.

When the shadows stilled, he was no longer a man.

He was now Pitch Black, the Nightmare King.

Smirking, he stepped forward into the darkness to welcome it, leaving behind whatever was left of his humanity behind.

Unbeknownst to him, an old wizard stood by to the side, with a Pooka, holding onto the last remnant of General Kozmotis Pitchiner—his locket, bearing the image of his beloved daughter.

Evil laughter followed in his wake as he disappeared from the planet he was on.

_Long live General Pitchiner__…_

* * *

Pitch Black arose from his slumber, a confused look on his face at the memory that he saw in his dream, and looked to the Nightmares standing around him, looking at him intently, as if expecting any orders from the man. He shook his head; such a strange dream could not have come from them. It was not horrifying enough.

It was, however, unsettling.

However, it was not a big issue—there were other pressing matters to address.

Mainly, his conquest of the world and all that is good on it, and the defeat of the Guardians.

Grinning, he approached the globe turning slowly in the middle of his lair, and peered at the unblinking golden lights on it.

"Let's see who'll believe in them _this_ time around," he grinned as Onyx materialised by his side, bowing her head to him as she took form. "When I'm done with those Guardians, nothing else will remain but fear," he smirked, as he turned to her, getting ready to saddle her. Around him other Nightmares formed, all ready to act on his command.

"Cold and dark." He mused, smirking as he saddled her. "Somehow, it still sounds so good even after all this time." He kicked her side and she reared up, whinnying loudly, before taking off into a gallop towards the exit, as the herd of Nightmares followed suit after them. "Let's pay dear Jack Frost a visit, shall we…?"

* * *

Peace had reigned for a long time after Sandy's little fiasco, a few years passing by without so much as a peep from the Nightmare King, leaving the Guardians more worried than ever before. As seasons changed with the months passing by, the silence only served to feed to their worry. This was all too familiar to the Guardians—the last time they had encountered peace that lasted this long had left them with their guard down, and they ended with a surprise attack from the Nightmare King.

Now that they had learnt their lesson, they were more than twice shy after being bitten, but that only meant that they couldn't spend an entire day without at least once leaping at shadows they cast themselves out of nervousness.

Sandy's close brush with death had left them extremely wary of what Pitch was capable of, and this left North with an idea.

When he voiced it out, though, the involved parties weren't as welcoming to the idea as he had hoped.

"Me? With _this_ poof?!"

"_Him_? With the Guardians?!"

Twin protests met his ears and the large man sighed, looking down at the two teenagers glaring at each other, weapons at the ready—Jack's hands were already crackling with ice and Angus's hands were ablaze with angry red flames.

"The both of you, stop that _this instant_!" North barked, and the two boys fell silent, slightly fearful eyes looking up at him. The Cossack spotted Bunnymund shaking his head at them from his spot by the fireplace. With Easter just finished, the Pooka had enough time to spare to come over to the North Pole to hear out what the man had planned for the Guardians."I don't see you trying to help, Bunny."

"Hey, I was the one who told you it was a bad idea, mate." The Pooka shrugged, and Jack, for once, nodded, agreeing with him.

"Yeah, North! We can't have Angus around; he's too dangerous to be with children! One touch and he sets things on fire!"

"Like you're not dangerous yourself, Frosty! Ever heard of Frostbite?"

"Hey, at least _my_ snow days bring joy to kids! What do your forest fires do?"

"Don't insult my forest fires! Do you know how much forests need those to—"

"Enough!" North cut in again, and the two teenagers fell silent again. "We need Angus on this endeavour, Jack. We will need all the help we can get in defeating Pitch, and you should know how powerful Angus's light can be. We can use that to our advantage."

"But North, you said yourself you didn't want Angus to be a Guardian—"

"Being a Guardian is not for me to decide, Jack; that is for the Man in the Moon to decide." North sternly said, "And I know Angus does not wish to be a Guardian, but at least he could be an ally of ours; we need him."

"North, you know I'll be there whenever you call me." Angus sighed exasperatedly, "I don't understand why I have to work with _him_, of all people."

Jack glared at Angus. "I don't want to work with you either, twinkletoes."

"Snowman."

"Charcoal."

"Popsicle."

"_Boys_." North glared at them, and they fell silent once more.

"Angus, we need you to work with Jack, because we all know he is the one Pitch is after. He wants to make Jack his Nightmare Prince, remember," here, Jack pulled a face and both Bunnymund and Angus snickered, "And we cannot risk leaving Jack alone with Pitch targeting him."

"Don't see why it has to be _him_, though," Bunnymund spoke up, waving his paintbrush at them. "I'm sure we're more than capable of taking care of little Frostbite here."

Jack threw him a dirty look, and Bunnymund ignored it.

"Angus produces light, Bunny. He can ward off any shadows. He'll keep Pitch away from Jack as much as possible."

"Sometimes I hate being on fire," Angus mumbled, and Jack smirked at him.

North sighed, rolling his eyes. "Alright, fine. If the two of you are going to act this way, I'll have to resort to drastic measures."

Angus's eyes widened. "North, you don't mean—"

"Yes, and I'm sorry." The man replied, and Jack looked on, confused.

"I-I don't… understand…"

North stepped to the side and pushed a button. Jack's eyes widened and he looked at Angus. The two teenagers shared a look, and before they could do anything else, a hole opened up beneath them, sending them falling down a long, winding tunnel.

Left behind in the upper decks of the workshop, Bunnymund looked at North, his eyes wide with shock.

"North, what did you just…?"

"I sent them to the bottom of the ravine. They'll have time to sort themselves out there." North replied, "And they're going to have to work together to get out of there. It's too cold for Angus to fly and the wind can't reach Jack from down there. They have only each other."

Bunnymund blinked for a while, processing what North had said, but then it finally clicked and he grinned.

"You are a genius."

"I try."

* * *

Shouting, the two teenagers crashed into each other as they were unceremoniously dumped into the bottom of the ravine beneath the workshop, Jack falling on top of Angus as they landed.

"Ow, ow!" the both cried out in pain as they rolled away from each other, Jack hugging the wall of ice of the ravine to cool himself down, and Angus to the nearest rock face to keep away from the ice. When they had considerably calmed down, they glared at each other.

"Great, where are we?" Jack snapped at the fire spirit, who scowled at him.

"We're underneath the bloody workshop, you twat," he replied, pointing above him at the opening of the chute that sent them there, far above their heads. The planks of the base of the workshop could be barely visible behind it, being so far away from where they were. "Brilliant. We're going to have to get back the other way."

"What other way?" Jack asked, and Angus pointed at a cave entrance not too far from them.

"There's a cave there that leads outside, but it's really hard to get through it alone." Angus replied, "North had it made for who knows what reason, and he and I had a go at it a few years back."

"How come he never told me about this?" Jack asked, peering at the cave entrance, where in the distance, he could barely make out a dim light shining.

"It was a bloody long time ago," Angus scoffed, "Right now, I think he wants us to work together and get out of here."

"No way. Can't we just fly?"

"No wind, not hot enough," Angus replied. "We're grounded here."

Jack frowned, and crossed his arms. "But I don't want to work with you."

"Me either. Guess we'll be stuck here for a while, don't you think?" Angus smirked at him, before settling down on a patch of rock that wasn't covered by snow. "I suggest you make yourself comfortable, Frosty. We won't be out of here until someone comes get us from up there, or we go out together—which, by the way, has a fat chance of happening."

"_Angus_," Jack sighed exasperatedly, but the fire spirit ignored him and turned his attention to the rocks, melting them down to play with them. Rolling his eyes, Jack sat himself down on a patch of snow and began to make tiny snowmen versions of the other Guardians.

They sat in silence for a while, each minding their own business, when Jack suddenly realised that the snowman he was making was a miniature Angus. Angus, on the other hand, completely froze when he realised the shape he was making with the molten rock was of a snowflake.

The two teenagers thought back to what North was trying to get them to do—get along, but they were such polar opposites, it was a difficult thing to just be even near one another.

They stole a glance at each other, but when their eyes met, they immediately looked away again.

Jack pouted. This was getting really silly, he thought to himself, as he fiddled with the tiny Angus snowman he was making, willing the ice to dance around slightly in twirls. He let the tiny Angus dance around for a while, unknowingly catching the attention of the fire spirit.

Angus turned himself to see Jack playing with a small snow version of himself, and saw him dancing around the male part of the waltz. A small smile crossed his face, his hot cheeks darkening slightly, and he touched the ring of Dreamglass around his neck, melting it down to something manageable as he began to form a miniature himself.

Jack's eyes widened in surprise when he saw a small Dreamglass version of himself approach his snow-Angus. He looked up from his creation to see Angus approaching him, settling down on a patch of rock next to Jack.

They looked at each other for a moment, and they smiled slightly at each other, before turning their attention to the little figurines they had made.

The Dreamglass Jack bowed to the Snow Angus, who did the same, and then they joined together to complete the dance.

The two teenagers watched the two for a while, each concentrating on their own parts, but after a while, Angus spoke up.

"Where'd you learn the waltz?" he asked, almost murmured, and Jack grinned slightly.

"Jamie." Jack replied, and Angus gave him a blank look. He laughed, shaking his head. "He's my first believer. His class was learning how to dance the waltz so I helped him practice. Ended up learning it too." He replied, making the snow-Angus turn the Dreamglass Jack. "Funny how I'm dancing the female part here."

"Technically, _I _am." Angus laughed, "I'm controlling you."

"True," Jack grinned back at him, and they let the two figurines dance before finishing it off with a bow. The two teens, smiling settled back into a comfortable silence, Angus manipulating the Dreamglass back into a band around his neck. "So, where'd you get that band?" Jack asked after a while.

"I got this when Sandy knocked you all out." He replied, still tweaking the clear golden band around his neck for the sake of fiddling with something to not appear too awkward around the winter spirit.

"The night you disappeared from North's radar?" Jack asked, and Angus stiffened up slightly. "You look guilty about it."

"… I had to hide for a while. Heat up for a little bit." Angus replied dismissively, and Jack sighed and shook his head.

"Y'know, I don't know what is up with you and not helping us out. Okay, I get you not wanting to help me, but why not the others? You're a spirit too. The Man in the Moon brought you back for a reason. You need to help us protect the humans—the children."

"That Man in the Moon made me live this long to torture me," Angus growled, and Jack backed away, unwilling to ruin this somewhat peaceful reprieve between them. The flame spirit sighed and slumped down, his shoulders slumping. "… Sorry." He mumbled and Jack nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking… how did you go?" Jack asked, and Angus gave him a confused look. He shrugged helplessly, "Y'know, how did you… kick the bucket? I drowned in a frozen lake, how about you? Um, in a fire?"

"Oh," Angus sighed, looking down at his hands. "… I didn't die. I was born like this."

"… Wow, really?" Jack asked, and Angus shrugged. They didn't speak for a while after that, Jack wondering what Angus's life might have been like.

"Let's get going." Angus suddenly spoke up. "It'll be better off if we got out of here." He stood up and brushed himself off.

"… Y-yeah," Jack replied, somewhat reluctant, following Angus's lead. Angus's response intrigued him about the boy, and he wanted to hear more about him, but for now his questions would have to wait. It was probably too cold for Angus to be comfortable, anyway. He picked up his staff and followed Angus to the cave entrance. The cave itself was dark, almost pitch black, but Angus was emitting a warm, bright light, so Jack could see what was inside—it was completely made of rock and ice, and there were two tall, tall levels he was sure they had to climb in order to get out.

They were far too tall for either one of them to climb by themselves. Angus was right; they had to work together.

"So." Jack began to say, as Angus began to melt his Dreamglass again. "Got a plan?"

"I've got a harness," Angus replied, making a thin, thin band from his Dreamglass and tied it around his waist. "Careful, though. It's hot."

Jack grinned at him, taking the molten glass from Angus's hand with his staff. He winced slightly—he could feel the uncomfortable heat radiating off his staff, but he decided to endure it. "So, together then?"

"Tally-ho." Angus grinned at him, and jumped up as high as he could onto the nearest rock. Melting the rock and dipping his hands in it, he gestured at Jack with his head for the spirit to jump.

So jump, Jack did, with Angus pulling up the rope that was wound around his staff to raise him higher than he could jump. Jack, gritting his teeth, ground his hands into the ice wall and froze them in place before looking down at Angus.

"Your turn." He called, and the fire spirit freed himself from the stones and jumped up, Jack pulling up his staff to get Angus higher than he could jump.

They continued in relative silence after that, talking only to cue each other to move, and when they reached the first level, they both decided to take a breather the both knew they really didn't need.

Sitting together, side by side against the rock wall, in comfortable silence, Jack was reminded of a scene he saw in his dream back when Angus had sung him to sleep. The two of them were snuggled up together in a cold cave much like the one they were in now, comfortable and content with each other's presence.

"… Hey," Jack began to say as Angus spoke up, twining the golden band of Dreamglass around his neck into intricate designs.

"Did it hurt?"

"… Wh-what?" Jack blinked, confused, and Angus turned his head to look at him.

"Dying. Did it hurt?"

"Oh." Jack looked down at his hands. "Do you want me to be brutally honest with you?"

"Yes."

"It hurt. It hurt so much, and it was so, so dark. So… _scary_. I was so frightened, and it felt like my entire body was on fire." Jack slowly began to say, thinking back on his memories of his death. "My lungs were burning up, my skin, my eyes, my legs, my arms… everything. It was so cold it felt like I was being set on fire." He looked at Angus, who was watching him intently. "… It hurt. A lot."

"I can tell." The winter spirit replied, holding up a finger and holding it near Jack's eye. Much to his surprise he felt liquid warm up on his cheekbone and evaporate. "You must have not liked it."

"Of course," Jack replied, as Angus pulled his hand away. "Who would want to die?"

"… I would."

Jack blinked at Angus, clearly confused and shocked at his confession, but then suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of familiar laughter.

"Pitch!" Jack hissed, quickly getting up, and Angus did as well, increasing the light emitting from his body. Beyond Angus's light, shadows moved around, twisting and turning as familiar, haunting yellow eyes came into view. "What're you doing here?" he demanded, holding out his staff threateningly at the man as Angus secretly formed a Dreamglass firefly and sent it away to warn North of the danger below the workshop.

"I came to pay you boys a visit, that's all." Pitch smirked, "How convenient for the two of you to be in such a dark environment, I shall have to thank North for putting the two of you here."

"Get out," Angus growled at him, hands aflame as he stood protectively in front of Jack. The winter spirit's eyes widened at Angus's actions, but quickly sobered up and got ready to fight as well. "You have exactly half a minute before I make you."

"Oh, I assure you, Angus, this is not about you. Now go away. I thought you hated dear Frost here?"

"People change," Angus replied, and Jack shot him a look of surprise, but the spirit grinned. "Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people. But I _do_ hate you too now. You almost killed me that night, and frankly, I'm not letting you get away with that."

"Oh, brilliant." Pitch rolled his eyes. "Playing the hero this time, are we? Well, no matter. I have important things to discuss with you, Jack."

Suddenly the darkness around them came down upon them, completely washing their vision with pitch black darkness that even blotted out Angus's brightness from Jack's view.

"Angus!" Jack yelled for the other teen, desperately clawing at the shadows and the black Dreamsand swirling all around him, but suddenly the blackness cleared and he was left in the cave alone, with Pitch grinning behind him. Whirling around, staff at the ready, Jack attacked, sending bolts of ice right at Pitch viciously. The man, smirking patronisingly at the younger spirit, blocked all his attacks with his black Dreamsand, until one tendril caught Jack's wrist, pulling the boy painfully away from Pitch, earning him a cry of pain.

"Ah, ah. We can't play rough, now, Jack. I just wanted to talk."

"The last time you said that, we stole ice cream and played Russian roulette with it in a park," Jack replied dryly, struggling in the tendril's iron grip on his wrist, trying in vain to free his hand that held his staff. "What do you really want?"

"I wanted to show you something, Jack. I think you might like it."

The winter spirit paused, curious. "What're you talking about…?"

"Take my hand, dear boy, and I'll show you." Pitch smirked, the grin on his face a snake's grin as he offered his bony hand to the winter sprite.

* * *

Angus struggled in the midst of the seemingly endless sea of Dreamsand that washed over him. He had three huge bears made of black Dreamglass guarding around him, shielding him from the Dreamsand, but more and more just poured in to cover him. Growling, he climbed up the three bears to see Jack staring at Pitch's outstretched hand, unknowing of an approaching wave of Fearlings coming right towards him. His eyes widened, and he struggled to stay aloft as beneath him his Dreamglass bears began to move, fighting off the throes of Nightmares and Dreamsand coming right at them. The bear Angus was riding began to sway precariously and Angus let out a curse as he swayed.

Dishevelled, he forced himself upwards, feeling his energy sap from him faster than he liked, with the low temperature of the area eating at the heat he was radiating.

"Damn it, Jack! Watch out!"

His screams were drowned out by the waves of black Dreamsand washing all over him, and he felt like he was being tossed around in a sea of sand.

Jack paused. "… You're not pulling a trick, are you?"

"Jack, please," Pitch laughed, smooth and silky and all oh so tempting. "Did we not have a civilized time together the last time I wanted to talk to you?"

The winter spirit eyed the man's hand. Something was telling him there was something wrong with the entire situation, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from the offered hand.

"Take my hand, Jack. I'll show you something you've never seen before." Pitch pressed, "It'll be _fun_."

Jack's eyes darted up to look at Pitch, as unbeknownst to him, trace amounts of black Dreamsand went into his eyes, and slowly, thoughts of doubt began to leave his mind.

"Jack, please!" Angus screamed from afar, his voice echoing throughout the tunnel, but Jack didn't notice him. His mind was slowly clouding over as the Dreamsand took effect, Fearlings growing ever closer to him, their whispers reaching his ears and secretly trickling into them.

"Come on, Jack. Please? For me?"

His thoughts began to race as his head began to spin.

_Come on, Jack. Pitch__'__s hand is right there, ready to offer to you something completely new, you__'__ll love it._

_Give him a chance—he's so lonely. He just wants some company, it would be mean to leave him hanging._

_He__'__s smiling at you, he looks so kind, and caring…._

_Look at his smile, Jack. Why shouldn__'__t you take his hand?_

_He needs you. Are you not a lonely soul like he is?_

_**Would you ever leave him alone, like you were?**_

"Don't take his hand!" Angus's scream fell to deaf ears as the Dreamsand made Jack's mind up for him.

"Okay," Jack said dully, as he reached out his hand to hold onto Pitch's.

The moment their fingers touched, Pitch knew he had won. A grin spread across his face as Fearlings immediately surrounded them, covering Jack completely in darkness.

Angus's scream sounded beautiful to his ears.

_Long live Jack Frost._

* * *

So. First part of three. I hope you guys liked it. Yeah.

Just a question for you guys. What do you think Angus looks like? Send us a FC, or even art! (I think we'd like art, Bukkun's in a mess and I would really like something to cheer her up with, so please, artists?) Drop the link or the answer in a review, or in Bukkun's Tumblr ask box here: bk - bukkun ! tumblr ! com * ask (exclamation points to periods, and asterisks to slashes. Remove spaces, please!)

Until next time! (That's where I truly shine! Ha!)

(And for those who are asking, yes, we're going to update Shining, Shimmering, Splendid. Please hold your horses, we're a little fucked-up right now. In the meantime, you can go stalk Bukkun's AO3 account, where she has 3 stories (two of which are porn, ugh, really) you can read while you're waiting for us slowpokes.)


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